A new video of Sonja Nientie, a German nurse working with ICRC, has resurfaced after almost seven years of silence following her abduction in Mogadishu.
The video on YouTube, featured Sonja in a veil, clearly distressed, appealing for urgent assistance and international help.
Sonja urged her family and the German government to secure her release.
The kidnappers are believed to make ransom demands for her freedom.
The video angered Somalis, seeing Sonja as their helper who turned into a victim under their watch.
Neither Somalia or Germany has made a statement on the new developments.
The ICRC confirmed seeing the video in which their colleague Sonja pled for her release.
Spokesperson Christian Cardon said they are currently analysing the recent video.
“We are concerned about her health, and we are doing everything in our power to secure her safe release,” he said.
Cardon said the video is ‘difficult to watch’ but offers hope for a possible release.
She was abducted in Mogadishu on May 2, 2018, two weeks after her arrival in Somalia to work with the ICRC as a nurse.
Somali Security Ministry linked some ICRC security personnel to the abduction.
The ministry said the security forces did everything to track down the captors but were unsuccessful.
The vehicle used in the abduction was later found near Taarbunka Crossroad, close to the ICRC office where Sonja was taken.
The ICRC office’s position, outside the heavily secured Halane camp, made it more vulnerable to Sonja’s abduction.
