Russia claims to be trying to liberate the captives in Niger

On Friday, the Russian foreign ministry said that efforts were underway to rescue the two geologists who worked for a Russian business and were kidnapped by an Al Qaeda cell in western Niger one month ago.

In a video published by Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) earlier in August, two hostages claimed to have been kidnapped while on the job in the Tillaberi district, which is racked by insurgency.

The location and date of the video’s filming were unclear. There was no demand for ransom included.

The Russian government said in an email that Oleg Gret, one of the captives, was a Russian citizen and Yuri Yurov, another, was a Ukrainian citizen.

According to the government, during the incident on July 18, JNIM murdered seven Nigerian troops and abducted four persons in total.

According to the statement, Russia has formally requested help from the Malian partners and the Niger government.

It declared, “We intend to continue our efforts to free the hostages,” and added that despite the region’s insecurity, its collaboration with the Sahel states will only increase.

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