British Couple Released after 388 days in Captivity
UPDATE The recent release of British couple Paul and Rachael Chandlers from the hands of their Somali pirate captors brought to an end to the couple’s 388-day ordeal. The couple was kidnapped off the archipelago of the Seychelles during the night, while cruising in their 38-foot sailing boat in the Indian Ocean on October 23, 2009.
Released unharmed on 14 November 2010 after a reported $800,000 ransom was paid, the negotiations for the couple’s release was spear-headed by a British-Somali man who said he was prompted to act when his children told him they were ashamed of the actions of the pirates. The British government has a strict policy of not negotiating with terrorists prolonged the negotiations and the change in government did not bode any better for the Chandlers. The ransom of $800,000, which was significantly lower than the original £4.2 million demanded by the pirates was said to have been mobilized by the Somali community in Britain as well as friends and family of the Chandlers. The Chandlers said they were held in difficult conditions and separated from each other but were otherwise unharmed. The Couple was thrilled to be reunited with each other and have since returned to family and friends in the UK.
The fate of kidnapped British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler remains unknown as the African Union (AU) proposes international air and sea blockade of Somalia. Condemning acts of violence and terrorism by Islamist militant groups Al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam, the Peace and Security Council of the AU noted that these groups are unleashing terror in the country “with the active support of foreign elements”. The AU also called on all Somali parties to join the peace process without any precondition or delay. More on this story @ Allfrica.com.
In February, a Libyan cargo ship was hijacked a few days after the biggest pay-off known in a piracy case was made by the owners of Greek oil supertanker Maran Centaurus. The Greek group paid US$5.5m in ransom for the oil tanker that contained oil products valued at US$150m. In the same month, Al Shabaab the Islamic militant group in control of Southern Somalia also declared jihad on Kenya for its support to Somali troops.
In late January, the BBC reported that a rescue attempt by a UK Special Boat Service team was aborted due to logistics delays. Paul Chandler 59 said he feared the pirates would kill and abandon the couple in the desert, as the deadline set for paying up their ransom was ignored by the British government. “They’ve lost patience,” he said. “They set a deadline of three or four days. If they don’t hear then they say they will let us die.”
A Somali doctor who was allowed to examine the kidnapped British couple on their 100th day in captivity expressed concern about Rachel Chandler. The physician, Abdi Mohamed Helmi “Hangul”, said “She is sick, she is very anxious, she suffers from insomnia,” Hangul said. “But I think she’s mainly mentally unwell, it seems. She’s very confused, she’s always asking about her husband – ‘Where’s my husband, where’s my husband?’ – and she seems completely disorientated.”
In a video recording made available to British Press, Rachel’s husband Paul appealed to the UK government for help in a barely audible voice.
