2011 Timbuktu kidnapping

{{Infobox person

| name = Stephen McGown, Johan Gustafsson, Sjaak Rijke

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| birth_place = South Africa (McGown)
Sweden (Gustafsson)
Netherlands (Rijke)

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| known_for = Being kidnapped by AQIM militants

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Timbuktu three refers to three abductees, South African Stephen Malcolm McGown, Swede Johan Gustafsson and Dutchman Sjaak Rijke, who were all kidnapped on 25 November 2011. A fourth German victim Maertin Arker was shot and killed when he refused to climb into the kidnappers' truck.{{cite web|url=http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/sa-citizens-under-fire-in-hot-spots-1.1286613#.VRJXuI7sBsk|title=SA citizens under fire in hot spots|publisher=IOL|date=1 May 2012|accessdate=25 March 2015}}

A unit of the Al-Qaeda's North African branch: al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) abducted the three from a residence shortly after eating lunch at a restaurant in Timbuktu, Mali. Because McGown has dual citizenship, South African & British, the group offered a trade to the British Government for Abu Qatada who was to be deported to Jordan, where he had been convicted of involvement in militant plots.

Following the kidnapping, several videos were released of the three, offered as proof of life.{{cite web|url=http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/French-Dutch-hostages-in-Mali-beg-for-help-20141118|title=French, Dutch hostages in Mali beg for help|publisher=News24|date=18 November 2014|accessdate=24 March 2015}}

Rijke was rescued by French forces in April 2015.{{cite news |last1=Hinnant |first1=Lori |title=French forces rescue Dutch hostage in Mali |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/french-forces-rescue-dutch-hostage-sjaak-rijke-detained-in-mali-since-2011-10158535.html# |access-date=10 March 2023 |work=The Independent |agency=The Independent |date=6 April 2015 |language=en}} Gustafsson was released in June 2017,{{cite news |url=http://www.expressen.se/kvallsposten/kidnappade-johan-gustafsson-frislappt-togs-av-al-qaida-2011/ |title=Kidnappade Johan Gustafsson frisläppt – togs av al-Qaida 2011 |language=Swedish |newspaper=Expressen |date=26 June 2017 |author=Hannes Lundberg Andersson}} and McGown was released in July 2017.{{cite news |url=http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sa-hostage-in-mali-released-20170803 |title=SA hostage in Mali released |date=3 August 2017}}

Sjaak Rijke

Sjaak Rijke ({{IPA|nl|ɕaːk ˈrɛikə}}) is a Dutch national who was held hostage by a faction of Al Qaeda in the Maghreb region in Mali since 25 November 2011 with Stephen Malcolm McGown from South Africa and Johan Gustafsson from Sweden. He was liberated by French special forces in the north of Mali on 6 April 2015.

Abduction

Rijke, who worked as a train driver in his native country of the Netherlands, was taken hostage in Timbuktu in northern Mali on 25 November 2011, together with McGown and Gustafsson. They were all in Mali as tourists, despite the recent unrest and insurgencies in the region. Rijke's wife managed to escape the attack by hiding from the perpetrators. A German tourist who refused to cooperate with the attackers was killed at the scene. Rijke, McGown and Gustafsson were subsequently taken to an undisclosed hiding place.

After his hostage taking, the Government of the Netherlands issued a negative travel advice for the northern part of Mali.{{cite web|url=http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5009/Archief/article/detail/3053525/2011/11/28/Negatief-reisadvies-voor-deel-Mali-na-ontvoering.dhtml|title=Negatief reisadvies voor deel Mali na ontvoering|work=TROUW|date=28 November 2011 }}

Aftermath

In a video posted on YouTube on 12 July 2012, Rijke said he had been captured by Al Qaeda and that he was treated well.{{cite web|url=http://nos.nl/video/394710-sjaak-rijke-ik-word-goed-behandeld.html|title=Sjaak Rijke: ik word goed behandeld|work=nos.nl|date=13 July 2012 }}

One month later, in August 2012, Arabic TV news broadcaster Al Jazeera broadcast a report in which Rijke and the other two hostages were featured, urging their respective governments to negotiate with Al Qaeda for their release.{{cn|date=May 2020}}

In September 2013, almost two years after the kidnapping, AQIM released a video in which Rijke called upon the Dutch government "not to forget about him".{{cite web|url=http://nos.nl/artikel/551932-ontvoerde-sjaak-rijke-in-video.html|title=Ontvoerde Sjaak Rijke in video|work=nos.nl|date=17 September 2013 }} The video was probably recorded in June 2013. It was the first sign of Rijke or any of the other hostages since French military actions in Mali in January 2013 when Islamist radicals had threatened to capture Mali's capital Bamako.

On 21 August 2014, on social media the case of Sjaak Rijke caught slight attention with the hashtag #FreeSjaak, commemorating 1000 days of captivity.{{cite web|url=http://www.ad.nl/ad/nl/1013/Buitenland/article/detail/3722291/2014/08/21/Sjaak-Rijke-al-1000-dagen-ontvoerd-door-Al-Qaeda.dhtml|title=Sjaak Rijke al 1000 dagen ontvoerd door Al-Qaeda|author=Marco Gerling|work=AD}}

In November 2014, AQIM released another video in which Rijke addresses the Dutch government and his family. He says he is in pain and in a difficult security situation, and asks in an emotional way to please help him. The video was made on 26 September 2014, according to Rijke.{{cite web|url=http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/ontvoerde-nederlander-sjaak-rijke-help-me-alsjeblieft|title=Ontvoerde Nederlander Sjaak Rijke: Help me, alsjeblieft|work=RTL Nieuws|access-date=8 June 2017|archive-date=29 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129225838/http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/binnenland/ontvoerde-nederlander-sjaak-rijke-help-me-alsjeblieft|url-status=dead}}

Rijke ultimately survived the kidnapping, having been rescued by soldiers of the BFST in April 2015.

In late June 2017, Gustafsson was released and flown to Sweden. No details about the negotiations were made public at the time.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/26/swedish-man-johan-gustafsson-islamist-militants-released|title=Swedish man kidnapped by Islamist militants in Mali released after six years|agency=Associated Press|date=26 June 2017|work=The Guardian|accessdate=27 June 2017}}

In late July 2017, McGown was released and returned to South Africa.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-hostage-idUSKBN1AJ16M|title=Al Qaeda releases South African kidnapped in Mali in 2011|date=3 August 2017|work=Reuters|accessdate=2017-08-03}} South African officials refused to comment on the terms of the negotiations, but The New York Times reported that the South African government paid €3.5 million (about $4.2 million) to McGown's captors using South African charity Gift of the Givers as an intermediary.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/world/africa/mali-stephen-mcgown-south-africa-al-qaeda.html?nytmobile=0|title=South African Held by Al Qaeda in Mali Is Freed After 5 Years|last1=Callimachi|first1=Rukmini|last2=Chan|first2=Sewell|work=The New York Times |date=3 August 2017 |access-date=2017-08-03}}