WASHINGTON, — Wednesday’s statement by the wife of an American humanitarian worker kidnapped five years ago in Niger said that her husband’s captors had made a multimillion dollar ransom demand, but that U.S. government restrictions have prevented her from raising the money.
Els Woodke stated that her husband Jeff Woodke is being held in West African al-Qaida affiliate known as JNIM. She also claimed she has received information suggesting that he is alive as of this summer. She claimed that the leader of the group, Iyad AG Ghali has a history in negotiating hostage release and that she pleaded directly to him Wednesday for his release.bonus veren siteler
“You are the only person who can make this happen. Woodke addressed Ghali in English, French and French with remarks in English.
She made her strongest remarks yet about her husband’s experience. However, she expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the U.S. government approach. She stated that she was repeatedly told throughout the years that she would be denied access to additional information if she disclosed details about her husband’s case.
She claimed that captors demanded a ransom of multimillions of dollars, but the exact sums are not consistent and U.S. officials have not supported her efforts to pay.
She said, “I’ve also been subject to so many restrictions by the U.S government that any meaningful attempt at raising a ransom is effectively forbidden.”
She stated that the restrictions are due to the fact that “other governments” are involved, but she declined to give more details.
Although the U.S. government doesn’t encourage ransom payments in hostage case, it has made it clear that they don’t want to charge relatives who make such payments. Responding to Woodke’s remarks, a U.S. official stated that although it is U.S. policy not to grant hostage takers concessions that this does not prevent the United States from aiding hostage families in private communications with hostage takers.
Woodke was abducted from his home in Abalak (Niger) in October 2016. He was forced into a truck by the men who forced him to surrender at gunpoint. From there, he was driven to Mali’s border. According to his wife, Woodke was abducted by an affiliate of the Islamic State in West Africa. However, he is believed to have been taken by JNIM and is currently being held by JNIM.
Els Woodke called on the government of Mali for her husband’s release and that of other JNIM hostages to be a condition of any negotiations with the group. She also asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken for a reaffirmation of his February promise that he would not “take any options off the table” in her husband’s case.
According to her, she believed Jeff Woodke was alive as of this summer, based on information from the government and other sources.
She also mentioned that he is well-known throughout the region.
“If he had died, I’m sure it would have been noticed.” This news would have been spread. This is for me an even stronger indicator” that he is still living.
