Kidnapping for ransom in the Sahel: analysis of 24 years of data shows a new trend

By Alexander M. Laskaris, Visiting Scholar, University of Florida
Olivier Walther, Associate Professor in Geography, University of Florida

Kidnapping for ransom has a long history in the west African Sahel. In 1979, a rebel group led by Chad’s future president Hissène Habré kidnapped a French archaeologist and a German medical doctor in the north of the country. The kidnappers asked for the release of political prisoners, among other demands.

Over the decades kidnapping became an industry in the Sahel. Governments were willing to pay financial and…

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