The seven hostages of AQIM kidnapped in Niger have been separated

The five French, Togo and Madagascar in the hands of Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) since mid-September and were held in northern Mali, are no longer on the territory of Mali, said, Sunday, January 23, Malian source familiar with the matter. "Seven hostages have been dispersed and are no longer on Malian territory.

We're confident," said this source to the condition of anonymity. "There are good intentions in Mali and Niger who do everything to obtain satisfactory results, but it is not easy," she added. France "has no comment" to make on this statement, responded the French Foreign Ministry. "As you know discretion is an important parameter of our work and effectiveness of it," said Bernard Valero, spokesman for the Quai d'Orsay.

Shortly after their abduction on the night of September 15 to 16 in northern Niger, five French, a Togolese and a Malagasy had been taken to Mali. It had been located together in the area Timetrine a mountainous desert of Mali located about a hundred kilometers from the Algerian border.

The leader of al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden, which has pledged allegiance AQIM has linked the release of French hostages to the withdrawal of France from Afghanistan, according to a sound recording broadcast Friday by Al-Jazeera. In late October, he had already linked the release of hostages in a French withdrawal and had justified the abduction as a response to the ban on veils in public places in France.

AQIM had renvendiqué Sept. 21 abduction of the seven expatriates and 30 September, the organization had released a photograph of the hostages, accompanied by an audio recording. There had been more evidence of new life made public. The image then showed them sitting on the sand in the desert, armed men standing behind them.

One of the abductors, seated next to the hostages, was not masked.

• Niger Hostage-Takers Probably Al-Qaeda, France Says - BusinessWeek (09/01/2011)
• Niger Hostage-Takers Probably Al-Qaeda, French Government Says - BusinessWeek (09/01/2011)
• Niger Attempt to Free French Hostages Leaves Four Soldiers Dead - BusinessWeek (10/01/2011)
• US suspends Peace Corps in Niger over security (18/01/2011)
• US rejects ransom payments to Al-Qaeda: Obama advisor (17/01/2011)

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