|
|
No death threat to Chinese hostage in Niger |
 |
+ |
- |
15:48, July 08, 2007 |
A Chinese company executive kidnapped in Niger's north region of Agadez Friday is now at the hand of Tuareg tribes and his life is not under threat, Chinese embassy in Niger said Saturday.
The hostage, identified as Zhang Guohua, was a deputy general manager of the Societe Des Mines D'Agelik, a uranium prospecting company floated in Niger by the China Nuclear Engineering & Construction (Group) Corporation.
Zhang was taken hostage in the region of Agadez, some 1,000 km north of the capital city Niamey, at about 3:40 p.m. local time (1440 GMT) on Friday. His local driver, interpreter and bodyguard were spared, the embassy said.
A Nigerien rebel group, named the Movement of Niger People for Justice (MNJ), claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a statement on Saturday. It said that the kidnapping was in response to the company's policy of employing people from the capital rather than locals, according to the Chinese embassy.
The Chinese embassy said it had not been contacted by the group, but it vowed to spare no effort to secure the hostage's release.
The Nigerien government condemned the act in an official statement Friday, saying it would take all necessary actions to secure the Chinese citizen's release.
Security in northern Niger has become a focal point since the same group attacked a military camp in the Agadez region last month, killing 13 soldiers, wounding over 30 others and taking 40 people hostage.
In April, the group attacked the largest uranium project of Areva, a French nuclear energy heavyweight.
Source: Xinhua
|
|
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article