A Swiss missionary who was kidnapped for a second time in Mali has appeared in a video purportedly released by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Beatrice Stockly was kidnapped first in 2012 by the militant group Ansar al-Dine, but later released. She returned to her work in Timbuktu, only to be kidnapped again earlier this month, apparently by AQIM.
The video outlines the demands of her captors, which includes the release of AQIM members in Mali, as well as the extremist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, who is being held by the International Criminal Court.
"We, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the Sahara region, declare our responsibility for the kidnapping of this Christianizing kaffir Beatrice Stockly, who by her work, drove out many from the fold of Islam by seducing them with crumbs of this worldly life," an English-speaking militant says in the video.
According to the Swiss foreign ministry, Stockly had been advised not to return to Mali after her release in 2012. She had been living in Timbuktu for several years, according to reports, and refused to leave when Ansar al-Dine took control of the city in April 2012.
The situation in Mali has been unstable since 2012, especially in the north where extremist militant groups continue to carry out kidnappings and attacks, despite French military intervention.
