South African paramedic freed by Al-Qaeda after six years

Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A South African paramedic -- and that country's longest-held hostage -- will be coming home after being held in captivity by Al-Qaeda for six years, an aid organization said.

Gerco van Deventer, who was kidnaped in Libya in 2017, was release Saturday night, the Gift of the Givers organization said. He is in the care of Algerian officials, the group said.

"Sometime yesterday [Saturday] ... Gerco was released," said Imitiaz Sooliman, the group's founder. "Our state security in South Africa got a call from the Algerian state security to say they have Gerco and they have taken him to hospital for a health check-up."

Just how the release of the father of two occurred is somewhat of a mystery. Gift of the Givers said it received a phone call earlier this month from someone in Mauritania who told them they were seeking to obtain van Deventer's release.

Van Deventer, was captured by a splinter group of Al-Qaeda and then before being "sold off" to another Al-Qaeda group in Mali in 2018.

But He could not be released through Mali, apparently because of the current new war between the Mali military and the Tuaregs," Sooliman said. So he went from Mali to Algeria.

Gift of Givers, Sooliman said, had been trying to negotiate the release since 2018, and was faced with a $3 million ransom demand. That was negotiated down to $500,000. But his family could not afford that, his company did not assist and Gift of the Givers does not pay ransom.

So, the situation remained bleak until the surprise phone call.

Officials said Van Deventer has taken to a hospital in Algeria for any needed medical care.

We now await the next step between Algeria and South Africa in the hope to have Gerco home for his wife, daughter and son ... and may this end in a very beautiful manner," Sooliman said.