Abu Sayyaf’s German hostages air appeal to authorities

MANILA, Philippines – Two Germans held hostage by the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group aired Monday, September 29, an appeal to the Philippine and German governments through an interview with Radio Mindanao Network (RMN).

An intelligence official confirmed the authenticity of the voices heard on radio.

Identifying himself as a medical doctor, the male hostage said he “came to the Philippines for a happy holiday, but unfortunately that did not happen.”

“I’m suffering a lot because I was taken hostage… and now I have to lay on the ground, to sleep on the ground… and my medical condition worsened, and I fear a lot for myself,” the man said.

“Hopefully our government will do all they can to get me free,” he added.

The female hostage, also over RMN, said their situation is “very, very stressful, and we are not sure how long we can suffer.” “And living in the jungle is also very dangerous, because we can contract any tropical disease – malaria or something – so we’re very, very keen to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“I would also like to address the Philippine and German governments to do all they can because I really wish to see my family again, and the situation here is very, very stressful,” she added.

On Sunday, September 28, the Philippines military dispatched an estimated 1,000-plus extra soldiers to its troubled south to strengthen security after Islamic militants threatened to kill one of the two German hostages.

The extremists said they would kill one of two German hostages unless a P250-million ($5.62-million, 4.4-million euro) ransom is paid and Berlin stops supporting the US-led campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, a terrorism monitoring group reported.

A German foreign ministry spokeswoman said the German government had “heard about the report” but stressed that “threats are not an appropriate way to influence our policy in Syria and Iraq.” – with reports from Agence France-Presse/Rappler.com