Sport
18 min ago
Gift of the Givers makes another attempt to free paramedic being held by Al-Qaeda
JOHANNESBURG - The Gift of the Givers has made another attempt to get South African parademic Gerco van Deventer released.
He was abducted by Al-Qaeda in Libya back in 2017.
He's since been taken to Mali where he remains as the aid organisation makes a final attempt to bring him home.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman says negotiators have consistently told the group that there was no ransom money, and he hopes they finally get the message.
He said, "you have to be consistent with your messaging, so we have been consistent with our messaging since 2019, that there's not money and the government is not going to get involved, they've seen that, they've seen there's no money and they've seen the government is not going to get involved."
"They've understood that clearly. From their point of view, they don't like to keep a hostage forever, because it's a real nightmare for them if a hostage dies in their captivity, it is very bad business for them, and they do everything possible to keep the hostage alive."
"You have to buy staff, you move them from place to place, they give them food, they get them whatever, and it's not that expensive but it costs money, but it's more important that nothing happens to the hostage in the process."