An American missionary and aid worker who was released in March after years of Muslim captivity in West Africa described a nightmare in a recent interview and expressed frustration with the US hostage negotiation process.
Jeffrey Woodk, 62, and his wife, Els, a teacher’s assistant, recently said: Communication with Associated Press About the six and a half years spent as a hostage Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam Wal Muslimoun (JNIM)an al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadist group active in the Sahel.
The militants reportedly drove to his home in Abalak, northern Niger, on October 14, 2016. NBC News and Another Associated Press report. JNIM fighters then shot two of Woodk’s guards dead, grabbed him, threw him into a truck, and drove him to the border with Mali, according to an Associated Press interview. (Related: American aid worker jailed for six years in Niger released)
According to interviews, Mr. Woodk lived a cautious life, keeping in touch with the State Department and the local embassy, even though he knew that he might be a target for abduction.
“It was hell,” Woodke said in an interview. “Have you ever been caught in a thunderstorm and chained your legs? Then you’ll be fine,” he said in an interview. During his captivity, Woodke told the Associated Press that he used a sundial to measure the time during the day and looked at the stars at night. Initially, he prayed eight hours a day, but found himself praying less and despairing more often. “When I was there last year, I asked: [my captors] to kill me,” he said.
A video taken on October 18, 2016, shows American aid worker Jeffrey Francis attending a ceremony to introduce his NGO in Abalaq, two days before he was arrested on October 14, 2016. Mr. Woodke is shown. Woodke was the first American to be kidnapped in Niger. (Photo credit: STR/AFP, Getty Images)
According to interviews and reports, the US State Department and FBI have attempted to negotiate his release with the help of the French and Nigerian governments. However, Els and her personal hostage negotiator, Robert Crumther, reportedly felt sidelined and misunderstood by the FBI over the extent of the captives’ demands and were hampered in their attempts to raise more than $6 million in ransom. . According to the interview, the FBI did not mention specific allegations made by Mr. and Mrs. Woodk, but said that they were “working tirelessly” to get Mr. Woodk and his wife home and that they were “committed to continuing to support Jeff and his family.” I am doing,” he said.
U.S. authorities, with the help of France and Niger, reportedly secured Mr. Woodk’s release on March 20 without paying a ransom, according to the Associated Press. Four days earlier, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken visits Niger Reports say he offered millions of dollars in aid.
Woodke, who is battling leg injuries and rising medical costs, told The Associated Press that adjusting to life back in California will be difficult.
