I think the resolve that the international community has demonstrated in
arresting gratuitous piracy off Somalia's coast is the same resolve required
in  the Sahelo-Saharan region where piracy in humans is rampant. Haruna.
This story  again courtesy of BBC News.



Al-Qaeda suspected of kidnapping Frenchman in Niger


A Frenchman and his Algerian driver have reportedly been  kidnapped in
Niger, where al-Qaeda's North African branch is known to  operate.
Security sources say armed men seized the pair in the lawless Sahara
Desert, near the borders with Algeria and Mali.
The reported kidnapping has not been officially confirmed.
This week, four Saharan countries opened a military base to tackle
al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which has recently seized several  Westerners.
A military source told Reuters news agency the latest kidnapping took
place near Tiguidan Tessoun, which is equidistant from the borders with  Algeria
and Mali.
Demands
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is believed to earn money from ransom
payments for hostages, although this is never officially confirmed.
It has also demanded the release of some its militants in exchange for
hostages.
In February, Mali freed four militants, sparking a row with Mauritania.
Mali's government denied accusations it was giving it to the militants'
demands and said the men had served their time.
Last week, two Italians were freed in Mali after spending four months  in
captivity, but two Spaniards are still being held hostage.
Last year, al-Qaeda in North Africa killed a British hostage, Edwin  Dyer.
The group emerged in early 2007, after a feared militant group, the
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), aligned itself with Osama  Bin
Laden's international network.
It has waged a campaign of suicide bomb attacks and ambushes in  Algeria,
and in recent years has become more active in the Sahara, where  governments
struggle to impose their authority and gangs of smugglers,  bandits and
rebels operate alongside the  militants.


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