[Regnum] Russia has sent a request to the Niger leadership for assistance in connection with information about the capture of two geologists by terrorists. This was reported on August 9 by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. The commentary was published on the website of the Foreign Ministry.
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"The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bamako (Republic of Mali), representing our interests in Niger, is in constant contact with the Niger authorities. A request for assistance was also addressed to Malian partners," the diplomat specified.
Zakharova added that Moscow intends to continue its efforts to free the hostages. The Foreign Ministry representative also expressed hope that terrorist and other destructive forces will not be able to hinder Russia's growing cooperation with the Sahara-Sahel states.
The diplomat reported that on July 18, in the southwest of Niger, in the Mbange region (Tillaberi region), terrorists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM), which has links to Al-Qaeda (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), attacked geologists. As a result, four people were kidnapped and several Nigerien servicemen were killed.
On August 2, a video appeared on social media showing two hostages. One of them introduced himself as Oleg Gret, the other as Yuri Yurov. According to available information, Gret is a Russian citizen, and Yurov has Ukrainian citizenship.
"According to the abductees, they worked in Niger as employees of a Russian company and were "detained" by GSIM. The geologists did not report any demands from the terrorists," Zakharova said.
As reported by Regnum News Agency, in Niger, militants from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims announced that they had taken two people hostage. On August 2, the terrorists published a video in which two alleged Russian men claimed to have been kidnapped in Mbang, in southwestern Niger.
In the video, one of the hostages identified himself as a geologist. According to him, he is Russian but lives in Ukraine. The second said that he arrived in the country a month ago to work for a Russian company.