In August, Somali gunmen grabbed two journalists — Canadian Amanda Lindhout (pictured) and Aussie Nigel Brennan — while the two were traveling to report on refugees outside Mogadishu. Aside from a brief video that surfaced last year, the two have not been seen or heard from, by reliable witnesses.
Information has been sketchy. My sources in Mogadishu reported different locations for the captives, perhaps because the kidnappers kept moving them, or perhaps because no one really knew for sure. In February, one Somalia group claimed that Lindhout and Brennan had briefly escaped, only to be recaptured. That claim has been challenged. Two weeks ago, a group insisted that the reporters’ release was imminent — but nothing happened.
I don’t know what to believe. And so it is with great reluctance that I pass along the latest information from my Somali sources. I have sat on this for a couple weeks, hoping for outside verification, but that has proved impossible. This information comes from a source I’ve grown to trust. Still, I advise my readers to be very, very skeptical.
Lindhout is pregnant.
At least that’s what I’m told.
Related:
Fact vs. Fantasy in Somalia
Verified: kidnapping an inside job
Somali journo released
Inside job rumors persist
Hope for kidnapped journos
Who are Al Shabab?
Abducted journos’ vulnerability
Journos kidnapped!
Problems retrieving journos
Kidnapping: inside job?
Ransom pending?
Developments in kidnapping case
Ignored victims
New prez = hope for Somalia
A.U. rescues Somali lawmakers
Building a Somali coast guard?
Somali government falls
Peacekeepers attacked
Islamists occupy Mogadishu police stations
Fighting threatens Somalia food shipments
Somali president out
Don’t go to Somalia
Americans join Somali insurgency
Ethiopians change mind about withdrawal
Kenyan fighters in Somalia
Good news, bad news, in Islamists’ return
Invading Somalia a bad idea
Pirates and Islamists: enemies or allies?
Somalis welcome Islamists’ return
Port fall might help piracy problem
Is secret sea lane working against pirates?
Puntland raids pirates
No easy solutions to piracy problem
What I learned from a Somali warlord
Secret sea lane for piracy protection
Peacekeepers, insurgents swap mortar fire
U.S. planes terrify Somalis
Ethiopians withdraw?
Peace talks break down
Ship rescues Somalis
Who are Al Shabab?
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When I first read about these two being kidnapped, and saw that one of them was a woman–my heart sank.
Because we all know what happens to women in this part of the world. Her day-in, day-out life there must be absolute hell…simply unimaginable. Frightening.
And if she’s ever freed… the chances of her not having been infected with the AIDS virus will be slim.
David, keep us updated.
David, if you’re skeptical, and you ask your readers to be “very, very, skeptical,” then why print this? I’ve read your stuff. You’re not a tabloid reporter, and now this unconfirmed story is out on the NET. I’ve already seen it quoted as hard news, but without caution.
Dear Friends,
I would like to inform you sincerely that Mareeg.com & waagacusub.com are not reliable news sources(in Somali standards) they are like what you call in the west Tabloid news websites, besides as far as i know, the Gangs who kidnap foreigners in Somalia mostly keep their kidnapped foreigners in relatively good condition NOT because they love them but merely because they are afraid to loose the potential ransom if they hurt them, this rule goes to all criminal gangs in Somalia who are involved in kidnapping the foreigners, Pirates are good example , in the other hand i would like to point out the fact that this Gangs are very professional criminals therefore its very possible that they paid some cash to the owners of these two websites in order to put some moral pressure on their family members and the Canadian government as well by claiming that Amada has been raped and she is pregnant …etc, _____>
Also i would like to say thatCanadian government’s decision to put some pressure on the Somali Transitional Government towards the urgent release of Amada and her colleague is NOT a Good decision, WHY??? simply because the Somali TFG government controls only small portion of the capital Mogadishu and unfortunately the place where Amada and her colleague are kept in is under the control of Jihadist-like groupCalled (HIZBULISLAM) therefore if i was theCanadian government i would use better methods and definitely more effective,like Using paid ads in local media to urge tribal leaders in the area to work hard toward the release of the abducted journalists, also i would use local media to urgeHIZBUL’ISLAM leaders to ACT immediately and secure the release of the abducted journalist since the abducting of innocent people is against their Declared basics, however i understand the complications may case by negotiating jihadist-like groups but as Machiavelli said “the end justifies the means.
if any one here is working on releasing her and requires some in depth information I’m ready to give free of charge, this will be my sincere contribution regarding her release (hopefully).
dirie@live.com
Re: DIRIE’s commment. I want to make it perfectly clear to my readers that I have not been paid by Somali kidnapping gangs to plant false information. My info on Lindhout comes from journalistic sources.
David, look again. Dirie’s comments were directed against the two websites he mentioned explicitly in his first sentence. No one thinks you’re taking money from her captors for this story. I hope that’s true of your sources, too. Forgive us though, actual friends of Amanda Lindhout, we are skeptical of every story out of Somalia involving her. So far, no news agency with any regard for accountability has printed this rumour. As you say, David, it has yet to be verified.
Jeremy,
I have a regard for accountability. But the sad truth is, with Somalia, the threshold for verifiable information is lower than for other countries. We must do our best, of course, but if we applied the same verification standard to Somalia that we do to other countries, there would simply be no news about Somalia. So, we urge skepticism, and publish what we believe to be true, verified to the best of our ability.
You shouldn’t publish unreliable rumors. A kidnapping is not a joke. All those rumors (like all the sojra statements) are just lies. If you have ever been in Somalia you would know that the kidnappers would never rape a woman or even misstreat her. I have my sources in Somalia as well -I know that country pretty well- and they say the pregnant story is just bullshit. Don’t give room to the lies of the kidnappers and remove the post, please. Thanks.
John,
I have been to Somalia.
I know you have been in Somalia. Me too, and many times in the last years. But it’s not a matter of who has been more times, it’s a matter of -as you say- the most of the info you get from Somalia is not true. Publishing these posts you endanger the safe release of Amanda and Nigel. You should be more careful instead trying to just to show off how well you know Somalia.
[...] Kidnapping is a huge problem in Somalia, on land and at sea. But the kidnappers are rarely very good at their jobs, and escapes are frequent. Two foreign reporters were grabbed last fall in Mogadishu and reportedly briefly escaped in February. This month, two Egyptian ship’s crews over-powered their pirate captors, killed two, and escaped the Somali coast. A Nigerian crew escaped in June. [...]