Kidnappings in Africa

Reuters published a rough tally of foreigners taken hostage in several African countries — Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Algeria, Nigeria and Niger — from April 2008 to Jan. 25, 2012.

Thirty-one people (mostly aid or construction workers but a few tourists) still were being held hostage. Seven others had either been killed during the kidnappings or died while held hostage. Six people had been rescued (two of them on Jan. 25) and one person escaped.

In this tally, the news agency focused mostly on Westerners who were kidnapped. This does not take into account ships’ crews taken by pirates nor kidnapped construction workers and other African nationals, who could number in the hundreds.