- Gift of the Givers hopes the month of Ramadaan will “soften” the captors of South African paramedic Gerco van Deventer.
- Deventer was abducted in Libya in November 2017.
- Earlier this month, a French journalist revealed that Van Deventer was still alive.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers hopes the month of Ramadaan will “soften” the captors of a South African paramedic who was kidnapped in Libya more than five years ago.
Gerco van Deventer has been held hostage since November 2017. He had moved from Afghanistan for safer working conditions in Libya, where he was kidnapped and sold to an Al-Qaeda group in Mali alongside three Turkish men who were released seven months later.
Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman told News24 it sent Yahya Dicko to negotiate Van Deventer’s release. He left on Sunday.
Earlier this month, News24 reported that a French hostage, journalist Olivier Dubois, said he had been living with Van Deventer for nearly two years. He said Van Deventer was still alive.
Sooliman said Van Deventer’s captors sent a video in January in which he asked for help and begged for his release.
“He looked good in the video. He said he was trying to get a hold of the government and that this was his last chance. I don’t know what he meant by that. My negotiator sent it to me, but we couldn’t keep negotiating and keep telling them you have no money. They could get angry. You have to be very careful,” he added.
Sooliman said the pandemic and natural disasters halted the negotiations.
He added that the lack of money to pay the ransom for Van Deventer’s release also delayed the negotiations. The captors last asked for $500 000 (R11.4 million).
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He said the organisation believed that the month of Ramadaan would soften his captors, and they would be open to negotiating his unconditional release.
Sooliman added:
It’s the month of Ramadaan, and generally, the guys are a bit softer. We asked his wife and son to make videos. They have already gone across. At some point, it will get to the captors. He went to Libya in the first place because he had no money. How would a family of a man without money pay you?
Sooliman said the organisation would also negotiate for the release of other captors, including Australian doctor Ken Elliot. He said his family would not negotiate.
Sooliman told News24 the organisation was not speaking directly to the captors.
“We are speaking to the younger generation, not the captors, but people who know them. It’s a long line. That is why you can’t trace them,” he said.