father Maccalli (Ansa archive)
Hours of anguish for the Italian missionary kidnapped in Niger.
The Minister: "Father Maccalli is alive"
The Italian missionary kidnapped in Niger "is alive".
Father Maccalli, however, remains in the hands of the kidnappers
Mali, a video would show that Father Maccalli and Nicola Chiacchio are alive
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08 October 2020The two Italian hostages freed today together with the French aid worker Sophie Petronin and the former Finance Minister Soumaila Cisse 'are Nicola Chiacchio and Pier Luigi Maccalli.
This was reported by the government of Bamako.
Maccalli, a religious of the Society of African Missions (SMA), was kidnapped on the evening of 17 September 2018 in the mission of Bomoanga, about 150 kilometers from the capital of Niger, Niamey.
Chiacchio, on the other hand, was kidnapped a few years ago, probably in Mali, while traveling as a tourist.
"Father Pier Luigi Maccalli and Nicola Chiacchio are alive", wrote 'Avvenire' on 6 April, citing a 24-second film that would have been shot in northern Mali a few days earlier.
"My name is Pier Luigi Maccalli, of Italian nationality, today is March 24", is heard in the short audio.
Then: "My name is Nicola Chiacchio".
'Avvenire' explained that he had asked for a still image of the video as further proof of the life of the two men: the two hostages in the film were seated side by side.
Maccalli was on the left with dark glasses, his usual thick white beard, and a traditional dress.
Chiacchio was also traditionally dressed and with a long beard.
They both looked thin.
The jihadist group, which had indirectly contacted the newspaper, had not identified itself.