French president Nicolas Sarkozy today vowed to punish al-Qaeda's north African wing after confirming the death of a 78-year-old French hostage kidnapped in Niger.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) yesterday said it had killed Michel Germaneau in response to a raid by France and Mauritania against the group last week, according to a recording aired on Al Jazeera.
French commandos, acting with Mauritanian troops, had tried to free Mr Germaneau, a retired engineer kidnapped on April 20th, but had not found him when they raided a desert al-Qaeda camp in Mali, Mr Sarkozy said.
"Convinced that he was condemned to a certain death, it was our duty to try to save him away his captors. Unfortunately Michel Germaneau was not there," Mr Sarkozy said in a live televised statement.
"Far from weakening our determination, his death must reinforce it," the president said.
He urged French citizens to avoid travel to the Sahel region and vowed: "This crime will not go unpunished."
Mr Sarkozy said France had received no sign since May that Mr Germaneau was alive, and had intervened after AQIM threatened on July 11th to kill him within two weeks unless Paris arranged a prisoner exchange.
Reuters