An affiliate of Al Qaeda claims to have kidnapped two Russians in Niger

Two Russian citizens are being held captive in Niger by an al Qaeda offshoot in the Sahel area of West Africa, the organization said in a video uploaded on Friday.

The two prisoners are seen speaking in what seems to be on-camera remarks in a video released by the media group Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM). They claim that at the time of their capture, they were employed by a Russian firm in southwest Niger.

They both identified as Russians, speaking in English with a Russian accent, and claimed to have been held prisoner in Mbanga, which is located approximately 40 miles (60 km) west of the capital, Niamey. They did not specify the time this occurred.

One identified himself as Yuri and stated that he worked as a geologist; the other named himself Greg and stated that he had arrived in Niger one month prior.

The location and date of the video’s filming were unclear. The two were speaking in front of a traditional West African textile background. There was no ransom demand in the video.

A request for comment was not immediately answered by Russia’s foreign ministry.

Speaking under anonymity, a security source in Niger stated that the two were abducted around a week ago while on a tour of gold mines.

Mbanga is situated in the gold-rich Tillaberi region, where Islamist terrorists involved in insurgencies linked to the Islamic State and al Qaeda have destabilized large areas of Niger as well as neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.

Similar to the military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso, the Niger junta has expelled Western personnel and established stronger military and commercial connections with Russia since taking over in a coup last year.