The Al Qaeda-linked Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) released a short video today showing two men as Russian hostages, who they say were abducted in Mbanga in southwestern Niger.
"My name is Jurit, I was born in Russia and I live in Ukraine. I was working for a Russian company as a geologist in Mbanga when GSIM arrested me," said the first hostage in English.
Next to him, another man dressed in the same beige clothes said that his name is Greg, that he came to Niger a month ago and that he works for a Russian company in Mbanga.
The video does not state the date it was recorded and the two men do not say when they were abducted.
On July 25, Russia advised its compatriots not to go to Mali and Niger due to the security situation.
The Mbanga zone is located in the Tilaberi region, where there are several areas with gold.
The area, near the borders of Burkina Faso and Mali, is regularly targeted by extremist groups such as GSIM and the Islamic State.
In June 2021, two Chinese nationals were kidnapped by gunmen in Mbango and released nine months later.
Niger, which has been gripped by extremist violence, has been ruled by a military regime for several years, as well as its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali.
When they took power a year ago, the soldiers justified their coup by worsening the security situation. But the attacks continue.
About 1.500 civilians and soldiers have died in extremist attacks in the past year, up from 650 between July 2022 and 2023, according to Acled, which records the victims of conflicts around the world.
On the other hand, Niger's military authorities regularly say that they have killed dozens of "terrorists" in their operations.
Bonus video:
