…Researched and contributed by Solomon Thomas.
Gerco van Deventer, a South African emergency paramedic, was kidnapped in Libya on November 3, 2017.
The incident occurred after he had relocated to Libya from Afghanistan for safer working conditions.
Van Deventer was sold to an Al-Qaeda group in Mali alongside three Turkish men, who were later released seven months later.
He has been held hostage ever since and is the only South African citizen held hostage by a non-state actor in the Sahel.
According to recent information received by his family, he had been sold and is now being held in Mali.
Gift of the Givers, a humanitarian organization, has been helping Van Deventer’s family to organize his safe return.
Imtiaz Sooliman, the founder of Gift of the Givers, stated that the captors demanded a ransom of $500,000 for his release during the last negotiation.
However, the pandemic and natural disasters halted negotiations, while a lack of funds also delayed them.
Sooliman also said that Van Deventer’s captors sent a video in January 2023, in which he asked for help and begged for his release.
In March 2023, journalist Olivier Dubois, a French hostage, said that he had been living with Van Deventer for nearly two years and that he was still alive.
Gift of the Givers sent Yahya Dicko to negotiate his release, and he has already arrived in Mali.
Sooliman believes that the month of Ramadaan would soften his captors and they would be open to negotiating his unconditional release.
It is heartbreaking to read about Van Deventer’s ordeal, and it is essential to note that kidnapping for ransom is a serious crime that violates human rights.
It is commendable that Gift of the Givers is working to ensure Van Deventer’s safe return, and we can only hope for a positive outcome.
However, it is also crucial to address the root causes of such crimes to prevent them from happening in the first place.