A French-Australian veterinarian working in a remote African conservation region has been kidnapped.
Dr. Jerome Hugonot was kidnapped while working for the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) in the region of Wadi Fara, which borders Sudan, in Chad on Friday.
A Chadian government spokeswoman identified Dr. Hugonot as an ecologist who maintained a wildlife park for oryx, a species of desert antelope, on behalf of the SCF in a statement announcing the occurrence.
Mr. Saleh stated that the government had mobilized all available means to locate the dual national, adding that the kidnappers were “unidentified individuals.”
Several armed organizations operate along the border between the Chad and Sudan.
In 2002, Dr. Hugonot, who is believed to have a wife and a daughter, relocated to Australia from France.
In 2010, after graduating from Murdoch University, he began working as a flying veterinarian at Katherine, Northern Territory, before spending the next four years in horse practices in South Australia, the Hunter Region of New South Wales, and Western Australia.
Before returning to Washington in 2019, he spent three years in Central Africa working as an equestrian and wildlife veterinarian and using his commercial pilot license for anti-poaching aerial monitoring.
In his most recent position, he assisted the SCF in its efforts to reintroduce scimitar-horned oryx to the country in north-central Africa.
Authorities from Australia and France are collaborating with the government of Chad to locate him.
The French foreign ministry said in a statement, “We are aware of the kidnapping of one of our compatriots in Chad and are in contact with his family and Chadian authorities in an effort to secure his prompt release.”
A spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated that the federal government was in communication with Chadian and French authorities and was aware of the reports.
She stated, “Due to our privacy duties, we are unable to disclose further information.”
The Chad is a landlocked, semidesert nation that faces domestic instability as well as security issues resulting from wars in neighboring nations.
The country has been governed by a military junta led by Mahamat Idriss Deby since his father, the former president, died during an operation against rebels in April of last year.
President Idriss Deby ruled Chad for three decades prior to his death, and the country is now racked by protests as residents demand a speedier transition to democracy.
During demonstrations last week, at least 50 people were killed and nearly 300 were injured.