A nun who was kidnapped nearly a year ago in Mali has appeared in a video in which she asks for Pope Francis to intervene, according to reports from the Mauritanian agency Al-Akhbar and the American centre of surveillance of jihadist movements, SITE.
Franciscan Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoti of Columbia was kidnapped on February 7, 2017 in Karangasso, near Koutiala in southern Mali, close to the border with Burkina Faso. She had been working there as a missionary for six years.
Previously, she had appeared in a video broadcast in July 2017 by the 'Groupe de soutien à l' Islam et aux musulmans', which AFP said was the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel region, linked to al-Qaida. It showed six Western hostages kidnapped in Mali or Burkina Faso.
AFP reported that the new video lasts just under five minutes with a voice-over commentary in English, according to Al-Akhbar, an agency known for regularly receiving and broadcasting press releases from jihadist groups in the Sahel.
The nun addresses the pope, asking him to intervene for her release and congratulating him on his tour of Latin America earlier this month. However, she stresses that her captivity continues at a time when Christians are celebrating Christmas, in an indication that the video was recorded at the end of December.
The video also reportedly shows former hostages of Sahelian jihadist groups who were released after negotiations.
In March-April 2012, the north of Mali had fell under the control of jihadist groups linked to al-Qaida. These groups were largely driven out of the country in 2013, following the launch of an international military intervention.
However, entire areas are reportedly now beyond the control of Malian and foreign forces, despite the signing in 2015 of a peace agreement that was meant to have isolated the jihadists for good.
According to AFP, since 2015 attacks have spread to the centre and south of Mali and to neighbouring countries, particularly Burkina Faso and Niger.
