Abduction of Sophie Pétronin: "We don't know where this proof of life comes from"

Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin, the son of the French hostage in Mali Sophie Pétronin. AFP Photos / Thomas Samson

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France has "recent" proof of life from Sophie Pétronin, a French humanitarian hostage in Mali since December 24, 2016, her relatives reported in a press release on Tuesday March 31. But his son remains mixed with this very partial news.

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The hostage's son, Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin, was summoned last week to Paris by French authorities who wanted to " tell him important news ", according to this press release.

Yet the latter explains having mixed feelings about this evidence to which they could not have access: “ It is ambiguous, the feeling that one has. It is a great joy to learn that she is alive, however we are very sad. Because it doesn't mean much. We learn that the department has proof, but we don't have any. We do not know where this proof of life comes from, by whom it came ... Is this oral information ? Is there a photo ? Is there a recording ? We know absolutely nothing. So it's already a little mixed. "

The authorities' silence

More than the lack of information concerning this proof of life, what worries Sophie Pétronin's son the most is the radio silence of the authorities concerning possible negotiations with the kidnappers: " This is a subject which is completely closed , which suggests the worst, because we may not have access to this information for security reasons or to protect an action in progress. But it could also, unfortunately, be that relations are at the zero stage and that they do not exist. "

On December 30, 2019, the humanitarian's husband kidnapped in Gao by armed men deplored the silence surrounding the fate of his wife, a septuagenarian doctor. " We don't know if she's alive. It has been a year since we have had any news at all, ”lamented Jean-Pierre Pétronin, on the third anniversary of his captivity.

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  • Mali
  • Kidnappings
  • France
  • Africa

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