Gerco van Deventer was captured in Libya in November 2017, then sold to the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (Jnim) and transferred to Mali, where he shared part of his captivity with French hostage Olivier Dubois. According to the South African foundation Gift of the Givers, which has acted as an intermediary since 2018, he was released on Saturday December 16 and handed over to Algerian authorities at the border with Mali.
Published on: 12/17/2023 – 12:38 p.m. Modified on: 12/17/2023 – 1:08 p.m
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South African hostage Gerco van Deventer can spend Christmas with his family. According to the South African foundation Gift of the Givers, which has been acting as an intermediary since 2018, he was released on Saturday, December 16 and handed over to the Algerian authorities at the border with Mali. Accordingly, no ransom was paid, reports our correspondent in Johannesburg, Roman song. The family couldn't afford to pay the initial $3 million ransom, which would have risen to $500,000 and then dropped to zero.
The foundation said it received a call on December 5 from a Mauritanian who said it was advocating for the release of Gerco van Deventer. The South African was finally released via Algeria and taken to hospital for a health check. Gerco van Deventer was shot in the left arm while in custody.
Six years imprisonment
The release of Gerco van Deventer ends more than six years in prison. This South African medic was kidnapped in southern Libya on November 3, 2017, before being sold to the al-Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (Jnim) and transferred to northern Libya. Mali.
French journalist Olivier Dubois, released on March 20, 2023, said he spent just over a year and a half in captivity in the Malian desert with Gerco van Deventer. This father of three will finally be able to reunite with his family, his wife Shereen, who continued to publicize his case, sometimes with relative indifference.
Gerco van Deventer's wife, Shereen, was contacted by RFI and said she was still waiting for concrete evidence to support his release. On the South African side, the authorities have not yet responded despite our repeated reminders.
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