Cape Town - While in the last 10 days of Ramadaan, time remains critical as Gift of the Givers (GOTG) tries to negotiate the release of captured South African paramedic Gerco van Deventer in Mali.
GOTG hostage negotiator, Mohamed Yahya Dicko, a South African of Malian origin, left for Mali on Saturday night and arrived on Sunday.
In 2015, when the organisation got involved in facilitating the release of South African Stephen McGowan, who was taken by al-Qaeda militants in 2011, the organisation had at the time no networks or contacts in the region.
GOTG founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, put out a plea for someone of Malian origin, who knows the government, the area, tribes and customs and is willing to negotiate in the various areas.
“There’s no payment for this, it’s a totally free service. We only cover expenses. Three hours later, Mohamed Yahya Dicko walked into the office and said ‘I’m ready’. And from that time onwards, Yayha has always been with us as a volunteer.”
Van Deventer was kidnapped in Awbari, Libya, on November 3, 2017. Eight months later, he was sold to al-Qaeda militants in Mali in 2018.
The organisation has been involved in this particular kidnapping since 2019 when approached by the family. The captors had at the time demanded US$3 million (more than R55m).
“The ransom was fairly high because at the time he was in Libya, when he was captured, he was working for a Turkish company and three other Turkish citizens were taken hostage with him. But the company paid for those three hostages, so it was expected that payment would come for Gerco too, but it never happened,” Sooliman said.
The organisation managed to negotiate it down to $500000 (approximately R9m).
“But of course, the government doesn’t pay, there’s no company behind him and the family doesn’t have the means, so everything went cold.
“Then came Covid-19 and everything went silent for more than two years, almost three years.”
Negotiations have resumed after a video was sent in January in which a long-bearded Van Deventer pleads for assistance for his release.
In the video, Van Deventer said he would not be released until the ransom was paid, pleading to any governments to make the payment so that he could be reunited with his family.
He mentioned several health-related problems, including the inability to control his blood sugar levels, possible heart attacks, blood in his urine and difficulty using the bathroom.
Sooliman said: “Because there’s no money and GOTG does not pay ransom, it’s up to the family and anybody behind him, so the angle we were going to use, since it’s Ramadaan, let’s make a compassionate plea in the month of Ramadaan because sometimes it may work.”
Two videos, one made by Van Deventer’s wife and another by his son, were sent to the intermediaries for his captors’ attention.
“We do get involved in kidnapping cases if the families approach us, but we don’t pay ransom. We are the facilitators, we make contact with our own negotiator with intermediaries.
“The intermediaries then make contact with the captors through their own system, and then when the message comes back, it’s the decision of the family, or the company the person works for, or government to get involved and finalise the last part of the arrangement. GOTG doesn’t get involved in the final arrangement,” Dr Sooliman said.
He added that nobody knows where Van Deventer is being held, as his captors are known to constantly move locations.