Sophie Petronin is alive and the Quai d'Orsay has the proof, affirms Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin, son of the French hostage, Wednesday April 1 on the antenna of France 24. The humanitarian aid was removed on December 24, 2016 in northern Mali

"The only information I have had is that she is alive. The Quai d'Orsay is talking about proof of life in early March, but I did not have more details," said Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin on France 24. "We are nevertheless delighted to know that she is alive even if that still makes us very sad."

>> Read also: Why the French army did not intervene to free Sophie Pétronin

The son also claimed that the latest information on his mother's health was from August 2019. She has physical health problems and is "bedridden" and "on treatment".

"Fortunately, she has a very good mind," said Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin.

According to the same information, she is currently "with other hostages" and the French government refuses to pay a ransom. "There are other possibilities, however," said Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin, without giving further details.

Sophie Pétronin, who ran a small Franco-Swiss NGO helping children suffering from malnutrition, was kidnapped on December 24, 2016 in Gao, in the north of Mali, and has since been detained by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

The Quai d'Orsay refuses to confirm

When questioned, the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs did not confirm the information

"The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and all the services concerned remain fully mobilized to secure the release of Ms. Sophie Pétronin and support her family," the ministry's spokeswoman said on Wednesday in response to several questions about the subject.

On December 30, the humanitarian's husband, Jean-Pierre Pétronin, deplored the silence surrounding the fate of his wife, a medical practitioner in his seventies, saying he had the feeling that she had been "forgotten". "We do not know if she is alive. It has been a year since we have had any news at all," he lamented on the third anniversary of his captivity.

The last video in which Sophie Pétronin appeared was received in mid-June 2018. She seemed very tired there, her face emaciated, and appealed to Emmanuel Macron. In another video in November 2018, where she did not appear, her captors claimed that her state of health had deteriorated.

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