FRENCH PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to punish a north African Islamist group that said it had killed a French aid worker who was captured in April in Niger.
In a live television address from the Élysée Palace, Mr Sarkozy condemned the “barbaric” killing of Michel Germaneau (78), a retired engineer who was being held by the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb group (AQIM).
The militant group said on Sunday the Frenchman had been executed in revenge for the killing of six group members in a joint Franco-Mauritanian commando raid in the deserts of northern Mali last week.
Speaking after a high-level security and defence meeting to discuss the case, Mr Sarkozy denounced “a barbaric and despicable act” committed by “a group of terrorists” against an innocent victim.
“More than ever, we are resolved to fight against terrorism in all its forms and to support those countries that have the courage to combat this barbaric terrorism,” the president said. “The crime committed against Michel Germaneau will not go unpunished.”
He said it was France’s duty to take part in last week’s Mauritanian operation, as Mr Germaneau’s captors never offered precise demands and refused to engage in negotiations. His death “was not preceded by the slightest beginnings of a dialogue with French authorities,” Mr Sarkozy said.
Paris acknowledged last week that it had provided “technical and logistical support” to a Mauritanian operation designed to thwart an attack on Mauritania by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. French forces hoped the raid could lead them to Mr Germaneau, Mr Sarkozy confirmed yesterday, but they found no trace of him at the encampment in northern Mali.
AQIM reportedly wanted to secure the release of its members from jails in the region and said the French hostage would be killed if its demands were not met by July 27th.
Mr Germaneau had been working for a small humanitarian group in Niger when he was abducted in late April.
French officials said they had no firm evidence that he was alive since May, when his captors released a video recording in which the Frenchman said he had a serious medical condition and appealed for Mr Sarkozy’s help.
“This death in such tragic circumstances shows we are dealing with people who have no respect for human life,” Mr Sarkozy said. He added that foreign minister Bernard Kouchner would travel to the region this week for meetings in Mali, Niger and Mauritania.