Paul And Rachel Chandler
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The following is a list of known foreign
hostage A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized—such as a relative, employer, law enforcement, or government—to act, o ...
s captured in
Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...
, particularly since the start of the Ethiopian intervention and the 2009–present phase of the
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.


Australia


Released (1)

:*
Nigel Brennan Nigel Brennan (born 18 May 1972) is an Australian photojournalist and author. In 2008, Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia kidnapped him and Canadian freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout. He was released 15 months later after a ransom payme ...
, was a photojournalist who was kidnapped on August 23, 2008, alongside his colleagues, Canadian journalist
Amanda Lindhout Amanda Lindhout (born June 12, 1981) is a Canadian humanitarian, public speaker and journalist. On August 23, 2008, she and members of her entourage were kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia. She was released 15 months later ...
, and Somali photojournalist Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, who were seized near Mogadishu along with two Somali drivers. Abdifatah and the two drivers were released on January 15, 2009. Lindhout and Brennan were released 15 months later on November 25, 2009 after a $600,000 ransom was paid. The abductors were teenage insurgents from the Hizbul Islam fundamentalist group.


Canada


Released (1)

:*
Amanda Lindhout Amanda Lindhout (born June 12, 1981) is a Canadian humanitarian, public speaker and journalist. On August 23, 2008, she and members of her entourage were kidnapped by Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia. She was released 15 months later ...
, was a journalist who was kidnapped on August 23, 2008, alongside her colleagues, Australian photojournalist
Nigel Brennan Nigel Brennan (born 18 May 1972) is an Australian photojournalist and author. In 2008, Islamist insurgents in southern Somalia kidnapped him and Canadian freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout. He was released 15 months later after a ransom payme ...
, and Somali photojournalist Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi, who were seized near Mogadishu along with two Somali drivers. Abdifatah and the two drivers were released on January 15, 2009. Lindhout and Brennan were released 15 months later on November 25, 2009 after a $600,000 ransom was paid. The abductors were teenage insurgents from the Hizbul Islam fundamentalist group.


Denmark


Rescued (1)

:* Poul Hagen Thisted, was an aid worker who worked for the
Danish Refugee Council Danish Refugee Council (DRC) () is a private Danish humanitarian nonprofit organization, founded in 1956. It serves as an umbrella organization for 33 member organizations. Formed after the Second World War in response to the European refugee c ...
's demining unit alongside American Jessica Buchanan. On October 25, 2011, they were abducted in the north-central
Galkayo Galkayo (, ,Dr Badal Kariye Ba Bsit Ma Mba & Phd, ''The Kaleidoscopic Lover: The Civil War in the Horn of Africa & My Itinerary for a Peaceful Lover'', (AuthorHouse: 2010), p.116. Italian: ''Gallacaio also known as Rocca Littorio'') is the third ...
area. Gunmen from the al-Shabaab group were alleged to be responsible. The hostages were later rescued by US Navy SEALs on January 25, 2012, and taken to
Camp Lemonnier Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base, situated next to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). ...
at
Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...
's Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport.


France


Escaped (1)

:*Marc Aubriere, was a
DGSE The Directorate-General for External Security (, , DGSE) is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA, established on 27 November 1943. The DGSE safeguards French national security through intellige ...
operative alongside Denis Allex, who worked for the government from the Sahafi hotel in Mogadishu. The men were subsequently taken by al-Shabaab and
Hizbul Islam Hizbul Islam ("Islamic Party"), also known as Hizbul Islaami, Hisbi Islam, or Hezb-ul Islam, was a Somali Islamist group formed after four Islamist groups merged to oppose the new Transitional Federal Government administration of President S ...
militants following a skirmish on July 14, 2009. Both men were then split between Al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam. Aubriere escaped from his kidnappers while they slept on August 26, 2009.


Killed (2)

:*Marie Dedieu, was kidnapped from Kenya's
Manda Island Manda is an island of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya, known for the prosperous 9th century ports of Takwa and Manda town. The island is now linked by ferry to Lamu and is home to Manda Airport, while Manda Toto island lies to its west. The ...
on October 1, 2011 and taken to Somalia. Police suspect al-Shabaab gunmen were responsible. Dedieu, who was paraplegic, died later in the month. :*Denis Allex, was a
DGSE The Directorate-General for External Security (, , DGSE) is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA, established on 27 November 1943. The DGSE safeguards French national security through intellige ...
operative alongside Marc Aubriere, who worked for the government from the Sahafi hotel in Mogadishu. The men were subsequently taken by al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam militants following a skirmish on July 14, 2009. Aubriere escaped from his kidnappers while they slept on August 26, 2009. Allex was killed in an unsuccessful rescue attempt on January 11, 2013. In exchange for Allex's release, al-Shabaab had demanded cessation of French support for the Somali authorities and the complete withdrawal of AMISOM forces from Somalia. According to the French Ministry of Defence, 17 militants were also killed in the crossfire.


Germany


Hostage (1)

:* Sonja Nientiet, was a nurse for the
International Committee of the Red Cross The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...
. Nientiet was kidnapped in Mogadishu on May 2, 2018 at around 8pm. In December 2024, it was reported that the German Federal Intelligence Service located Nientiet and planned a rescue operation. However, then-Foreign Minister
Heiko Maas Heiko Josef Maas (; born 19 September 1966) is a German lawyerMarcus Jung (15 December 2022) ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung''. and former politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the Mini ...
allegedly ceased the mission because he feared "the operation could end in a bloodbath and the death of the hostage. In March 2025, a video was released showing Nientiet pleading for her release.


Kenya


Released (3)

:*Fredrick Irungu Wainaina, Edward Mule Yesse, and Dekow Mohammed, were kidnapped on January 11, 2013. Retaliating against the coordinated
Operation Linda Nchi Operation Linda Nchi (; "Protect the Country") was the Kenya Defence Forces' invasion of southern Somalia beginning in 2011. The Kenyan government declared the operation completed in March 2012, but its forces then joined AMISOM in Somalia. ...
inside Somalia, about 100 heavily armed al-Shabaab gunmen raided a police camp in Gerille,
Wajir District Wajir District was an administrative district in the North Eastern Province of Kenya. The district was created off the Northern Frontier District by the colonial government prior to independence. Its capital town was Wajir. The district had a popu ...
, near the Somalia-Kenya border. The militants bombed the camp, killed six people and wounded three others, stealing firearms, ammunition and a vehicle in the process. Three individuals were taken hostage. According to local media reports, the insurgents later paraded the hostages in the southern Somali town of Bardhere (BardherBardere). On January 19, the militants released photos of two of their captives, who were identified as Kenyan government officials Fredrick Irungu Wainaina and Edward Mule Yesse. A third hostage, Dekow Mohammed, was of Somali descent. He was released on January 17, 2013. Two of the hostages reportedly included a chief and a district officer. Wainaina and Yesse were released on July 30, 2013.


Unknown (1)

:*Patrick Amukhuma, was an environmentalist who, alongside his British colleague Murray Watson, was an employee of an Indian company under contract with the UN. On April 1, 2008, they were seized by unknown gunmen while conducting a survey in southern Somalia's conflict zones. Their driver, translator and two guards were not taken. Amukhuma and Watson have not been seen or heard from since. Their kidnappers' demands ranged from $2 million to $4 million in exchange for the men's release.


Spain


Released (2)

:*Montserrat Serra and Blanca Thiebaut, who were employed by
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF; pronounced ), known in some English-speaking settings as Doctors Without Borders, is a charity that provides humanitarian medical care. It is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of French origin known for its projects in conflict zo ...
were kidnapped from the
Dadaab Dadaab () is a semi-arid town in Garissa County, Kenya. It is the site of a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR base hosting 426,822 registered refugees and asylum seekers as of 28 February 2025, in four refugee camp, camps (Daga ...
refugee camp in Kenya on October 13, 2011, and taken to Somalia. Their Kenyan driver was wounded but not abducted. Police suspect al-Shabaab militants were responsible for the abductions. The two aid workers were released on July 19, 2013.


United Kingdom


Released (3)

:*Judith Tebbutt, was kidnapped on September 11, 2011 when gunmen stormed a bungalow on
Kiwayu Kiwayuu (alternative spelling Kiwayu) is a small island in the eastern part of the Lamu Archipelago in the Kiunga Marine National Reserve in Kenya. Its main economic activity is fishing, and there is one school, one clinic and one well on the ...
island,
Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
. Tebbutt's husband, British publishing executive David Tebbutt, was shot dead whilst Judith was taken to a hideout in Somalia. Police suspect that militants with the al-Shabaab group were responsible. On March 21, 2012, Judith Tebbutt's captors released her after her family reportedly paid a ransom. :*Paul and Rachel Chandler, were a British couple who were kidnapped on October 23, 2009, from their 38 ft sailing boat off the archipelago of the
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...
during the night. The distress signal was sent out at 22:00. Naval forces and Search & Rescue centres were slow to react until the story broke on 27 October and pirates informed the media that the couple were in danger. The yacht S/Y ''Lynn Rival'' was found the next day by naval forces, abandoned off the Central Somali Coast. The two hostages had been first taken onto a previously
hijack Hijack, Highjack, or High Jack may refer to: Film and television * ''Hijack'' (1973 film), an American television action film * ''Hijack!'' (1975 film), a British children's drama film * ''Hijack'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi-language action f ...
ed merchant ship, the MV ''Kota Wajar''. After ransoms were paid, the couple were released on 14 November 2010.


Unknown (1)

:*Murray Watson, was an environmentalist who, alongside his Kenyan colleague Patrick Amukhuma, was an employee of an Indian company contracted by the UN. On April 1, 2008, they were seized by unknown gunmen while conducting a survey in southern Somalia's conflict zones. Their driver, translator and two guards were not taken. Watson and Amukhuma have not been seen or heard from since. Their kidnappers' demands ranged from $2 million to $4 million in exchange for the men's release.


United States


Rescued (1)

:*
Jessica Buchanan Jessica Eugenia Buchanan (also Santi, Vega, Brennan, Ford and Wentworth) is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera ''One Life to Live''. She is the daughter of Victoria Lord and Clint Buchanan. She is the fraternal twin sister of Natalie Bu ...
, was an aid worker for the
Danish Refugee Council Danish Refugee Council (DRC) () is a private Danish humanitarian nonprofit organization, founded in 1956. It serves as an umbrella organization for 33 member organizations. Formed after the Second World War in response to the European refugee c ...
's demining unit, alongside Dane Poul Hagen Thisted. On October 25, 2011, they were abducted in the north-central
Galkayo Galkayo (, ,Dr Badal Kariye Ba Bsit Ma Mba & Phd, ''The Kaleidoscopic Lover: The Civil War in the Horn of Africa & My Itinerary for a Peaceful Lover'', (AuthorHouse: 2010), p.116. Italian: ''Gallacaio also known as Rocca Littorio'') is the third ...
area. Gunmen from the Al-Shabaab Islamist group were alleged to be responsible. The hostages were later rescued by US Navy SEALs on January 25, 2012, and taken to
Camp Lemonnier Camp Lemonnier is a United States Naval Expeditionary Base, situated next to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport in Djibouti City, and home to the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). ...
at
Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...
's Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport.


See also

* ''
Captive Captive or Captives may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Captive'' (1980 film), a sci-fi film, starring Cameron Mitchell and David Ladd * ''Captive'' (1986 film), a British-French film starring Oliver Reed * ''Captive'' (1991 ...
'', documentary series in which the Paul and Rachel Chandler hostage situation was featured. *
Foreign hostages in Iraq Members of the Iraqi insurgency began taking foreign hostages in Iraq beginning in April 2004. Since then, in a dramatic instance of Islamist kidnapping they have taken captive more than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis; among them, dozen ...
* Foreign hostages in Nigeria *
Foreign hostages in Afghanistan Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Kidnappers include Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters and common criminal elements. The following is a list of known fore ...


References

{{coord missing, Somalia Terrorism in Somalia War in Somalia (2006–2009) Somali Civil War (2009–present)