France said yesterday it would not negotiate with gunmen claiming to be from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram who have taken a French family hostage in retaliation for French military intervention in Mali.
The three adults and four children were kidnapped in north Cameroon last week. In a video posted online, the gunmen said France had declared war on Islam with its campaign in Mali and threatened to kill the hostages unless authorities in Nigeria and Cameroon freed militants there.
“We do not negotiate on that kind of basis,” French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio. He said troops in Mali’s north were facing stiff resistance from the “strongest and most organised” rebels. –(Reuters)