Monday, December 17, 2007
By C. Bryson Hull
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) condemned the kidnapping of Gwen Le Gouil in
Eight local journalists have been killed in the Horn of Africa nation this year alone, making it the most dangerous country in the world for reporters after
"The negotiations are underway this morning," said Jean Laurent, a colleague of Le Gouil's in
"We don't know exactly how much they are asking. The first demand was $70,000, then sometimes it's $35,000."
The identity of the group holding him was unknown.
Somali kidnappers are known to treat their captives well and almost never kill them, instead viewing them as an investment on which they expect a return in the form of ransom.
Many foreigners in
French diplomats in the region had no comment.
Laurent confirmed Le Gouil was in Somalia working on a piece for the Franco-German TV network Arte Television, that NUSOJ said was about human trafficking of African migrants to Saudi Arabia through Yemen.
"We denounce this kidnapping of ... Le Gouil, and we demand his immediate and unconditional release," Omar Faruk Osman, NUSOJ secretary general, said in the statement.
On Sunday night, the kidnappers fired at Puntland troops who tried to secure Le Gouil's release, Osman said.
He urged Puntland authorities to work for "a peaceful release...and not to use any force that can risk the life of Gwen Le Gouil."
Known for its relative stability in a country plagued by lawlessness, semi-autonomous Puntland has become increasingly associated with kidnappings, hijackings and piracy.
In May, two foreign aid workers were seized and later released after negotiations between their captors and clan elders, while in October gunmen hijacked a cargo plane carrying khat, a lucrative narcotic leaf.