Who are the eight French people held hostage or missing whose families are awaiting their release?

The eight French people hostage or missing: The families' hope for a release

\n\nThe kidnappings and disappearances of French people are events that deeply mark our nation. These hostages or missing French people cause endless sadness in the hearts of their families, who never stop hoping for their release. This list profiles these eight French citizens who are still detained or missing.\n\n

1. Sophie Petronin

\n\nSophie Pétronin, a French aid worker, was kidnapped by jihadists in the town of Gao, Mali in December 2016. She was finally released in October 2020.\n\n

2. Tanguy Moulin-Fournier

\n\nKidnapping of Tanguy Moulin-Fournier and his family in Cameroon by the terrorist group Boko Haram in February 2013. Fortunately, they were released two months later.\n\n

3. François Collomp

\n\nFrançois Collomp, a French engineer, was kidnapped in Katsina State, Nigeria, by the Islamist group Ansaru in December 2012. He managed to escape and return to France in November 2013.\n\n

4. Gilberto Rodriguez Leal

\n\nGilberto Rodriguez Leal, a French national, was captured by the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO) in November 2012 in western Mali. Sadly, his death was announced in April 2014.\n\n

5. Serge Lazarevic and Philippe Verdon

\n\nThese two French businessmen were captured by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in November 2011 in Mali. Philippe Verdon was killed by his captors, but Serge Lazarevic was released in December 2014.\n\n

6. Antoine De Leocour and Vincent Delory

\n\nThe two friends were kidnapped and killed by AQIM in January 2011 in Niger.\n\n

7. Pierre Legrand, Daniel Larribe, Thierry Dol and Marc Féret

\n\nThese four French employees of Areva and Vinci were kidnapped by AQIM in Niger in September 2010. Fortunately, they were all released in October 2013.\n\nThese eight French hostages or missing people embody the horror of kidnappings and disappearances. Their families continue to hope for their release, despite the years of distress and uncertainty. Every day they wait for news, a sign of life, proof that their loved ones are still alive and have a chance of coming home. \n\n