El Watan daily has reported that a deal has been agreed with GSPC allowing the insurgents to go to Mail. No details on how they will reach Mail have been released. The location of the hostages seems unknown to the public and even some of the authorities at this stage.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/...393921,00.html

...and the insurgents will no doubt have to travel to Mali with guides......

If the army allows them, these guys would be going "home". They know the way.

On the other side of the border, the Algerian minister Zerhouni has a good idea to solve the crisis: sit and wait.

http://www.triotours.com/saharamissi...8-zerhouni.htm

German television is reporting a ransom demand of 4.6 million euros per hostage...

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/...396267,00.html

Interesting news.

Translation of extract from L'Expression newspaper (Ouargla) 9 August 2003.

HOSTAGE TAKERS CORNERED IN MALIAN DESERT

Gamble (le Pari) lost for 'Abderazak The Para'

Desire for supremacy and apparent split with Hattab seem to have made him
irretrievably isolated

Amari Saifi, or for those who prefer terrorist chief sobriquets,
Abderazak The Para, seems about to lose his war just after pulling off the
most spectacular media-terrorist coup of the year (picture of Amari).

His group succeeded in negotiating his escape to Mali with European
hostages who have been held for over 5 months, but today he seems
irretrievably isolated in the north eastern Malian desert, between special
forces, chancers seeking financial rewards and an increasingly hostile
local population. The only way out would seem to be capture or death. Even
with 60 million euros in his pocket - the ransom amount demanded for the
release of 14 hostages, 4 of whom are very seriously ill - Abderazak the
Para can no longer escape the net closing in on him in a hostile,
little-known [to him] terrain, and cut off from his intermediaries and
supporters in Algeria. Even his most faithful ally, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, can
no longer be of any help to him. His ambition, struggle for leadership with
Hacene Hattab and his guerilla temperament led
him to attempt a spectacular action which would have given him power and
supremacy while discrediting his chief and national leader of the
military-terrorist Gspc, Hacene Hattab.

The capture of 32 European hostages in the Algerian Saharan provoked such
outrage in the international media that Abderazak The Para could have
stolen the limelight from Hattab. But Mali hasnt been as promising as the
kidnappers had hoped for: neither logistically, nor from the point of view
of support from Tuareg rebels, nor even the ransom being in place.

Today, Abderazak the Para is practically finished, and we can only follow
the outcome of the hostage affair to discover his fate. Is he in effect
among the hostage-takers? Many think so, and possibly Hattab is praying for
his most dangerous rival to be killed or captured on Malian territory.

Abderazak The Para, ex-member of special army forces is an imposing,
heavily built warrior-like figure. Born on 1 January 1968 in Guelma
(according to the Gendarmerie), 23 April 1966 (army source), he lived in
the community of
Bouhachana, district of Guelma. From 1988, he showed allegiance to
Islamicism. The following year he began planning to found an Islamist state
in Algeria. Djouni on contract with special forces, not deserter as western
media suggest, he was sentenced by military court in Constantine to 3
months in prison, charged with infringement of orders. Army sources say he
deserted in 1991. Other sources say he broke ranks to end his contract.

Islamic fundamentalist and hateful of the authorities, he naturally
joined guerilla activities through the GIA. He was quickly promoted to rank
of chief, and in the Zitouni epoque was a member of the GIA directorate.
He broke away from the GIA in 1996 and with Hattab set up the Gspc in the
Kabylie region in 1998.

Abderazak the Para, chief of chiefs, was promoted to No 2 of the
military hierarchy of the organisation, commanding the 5th zone (Batna,
Tebassa, Oum El-Bouaghi and Setif), towns he knows well. Specialist in
surprise attacks against military contingents and police in the east of the
country, he was soon hated by the security forces.

From 2002 he began to distance himself from Hattab Hacene, his chief and
No 1 in the Gspc. His penchant for media coups pushed him to capture
European tourists from the end of February 2003 in the triangle of fire:
Tam Illizi Ouargla.

Just read on a Dutch newssite (nu.nl) that German deputy Secretary of State Jürgen Chrobog on Thursday stated to the press at Bamako airport (Mali) that he expected a "very quick" release of the hostages.

Apparently this is the first time that a German official has made a positive statement in this case. "We believe that we both, the Malinese and the German governments, can come to a solution quickly".

Fingers crossed.

Camiel



[This message has been edited by camiel (edited 14 August 2003).]

according to a post on www.sahara-info.ch, quoting german zdf tv, the remaining 14 hostages have been released in mali.

let's hope it's not another hoax.

ChrisB

Although it sounds almost too good to be true, it carries the weight of having a reputable German TV-station (ZDF) as its source. Looks like they're really free, at last!

http://www.heute.t-online.de/ZDFheut...060702,00.html

Camiel

The 14 European tourists who were kidnapped almost six months ago in Algeria have been released.

Several sources have reported that the 9 Germans, 4 Swiss and 1 Dutchman have been flown to Bamako, where they are receiving first medical treatment.

None of the governments involved in the case have confirmed the news yet.

The 14 are reported to be in good shape. They will fly home later on Sunday evening and are expected at Cologne airport early on Monday morning.

German television station ZDF claims that the Malian government has paid a ransom for the release of the hostages on Saturday.

http://www.triotours.com/saharamissing/030817-zdf.htm

Also now on the BBC site:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3157645.stm

baswacky

Release "delayed" for logistical problems:

http://www.triotours.com/saharamissing/

It looks like the last 14 hostages were liberated today by the islamist group GSPC after the german governement agreed to pay a total of 64,4 millions euros. It seems that this islamic groups have found a new easy way of auto financing , after the money from the persian Gulf started to diminish , german and swiss governement (and probably japanese too in the future) are always ready to pay millions for the sake of theire citizens ....I have my own reasons to believe that his will rather encourage other groups and the GSPC itself to attempt more tourists kidnapings ...

My God...

"German labor laws may delay hostages’ return"

http://www.triotours.com/saharamissing/030718-dpa2.htm

It's official! All 14 tourists are free!

http://www.triotours.com/saharamissi...8-reuters2.htm

Thank God!

" We officially confirm that all the hostages have been released" says a Malian govt official. If its true they should be home tomorrow.
It will be interesting to find out how the kidnappers will actually get away with it.

Ch