Italian hostage freed in Burkina Faso arrives back in Italy
The Italian hostage Maria Sandra Mariani freed in Burkino Faso arrived back in Italy at Rome Airport on Wednesday.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Italian-hostage...
“Maria Sandra Mariani is free. I have just informed her relatives. I join them in their great satisfaction and relief at this magnificent news,” Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi was quoted as saying in a statement, reported APS.
Mariani was travelling as a tourist with a driver and tour guide when she was kidnapped in a remote area of southern Algeria on February 2.
The driver and guide were later released and said they had been kidnapped by “14 men riding in two Toyota trucks”, a security source said at the time.
The foreign ministry also vehemently denied reports in some media that a three-million-euro ($4.0-million) ransom had been paid.
The Foreign ministry confirmed to ANSAmed that Burkino Faso and President Blaise Compaoré were very instrumental in the hotsage's release.
This is a happy ending to a long captivity an encouraging sign that hostage release is still possible. How Maria Sandra Marianai was eventually released after being moved to two or three countries is a fascinating story which perhaps will one day be revealed but it shows that diplomatic efforts can work, in contrast to the abortive British Nigerian military rescue operation where a British and an Italian were killed. Italy expressed outrage that they were not informed before the rescue attempt took place.
The latest hostage, a Swiss Christian missionary was kidnapped in Timbuktu by armed gunmen last Sunday.
Mariani was travelling as a tourist with a driver and tour guide when she was kidnapped in a remote area of southern Algeria on February 2.
The driver and guide were later released and said they had been kidnapped by “14 men riding in two Toyota trucks”, a security source said at the time.
The foreign ministry also vehemently denied reports in some media that a three-million-euro ($4.0-million) ransom had been paid.
The Foreign ministry confirmed to ANSAmed that Burkino Faso and President Blaise Compaoré were very instrumental in the hotsage's release.
This is a happy ending to a long captivity an encouraging sign that hostage release is still possible. How Maria Sandra Marianai was eventually released after being moved to two or three countries is a fascinating story which perhaps will one day be revealed but it shows that diplomatic efforts can work, in contrast to the abortive British Nigerian military rescue operation where a British and an Italian were killed. Italy expressed outrage that they were not informed before the rescue attempt took place.
The latest hostage, a Swiss Christian missionary was kidnapped in Timbuktu by armed gunmen last Sunday.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Italian-hostage...