Highlights
– 11 European tourists and eight Egyptian drivers were kidnapped in the southwestern corner of Egypt
– All 19 members of the tour group were rescued ten days later near Sudan’s border with Chad
– Though no ransom was reportedly paid, the incident may still lead to a trend of abducting European tourists for ransom and may negatively affect Egypt’s economy in the near to mid-term
Prior to the September 19, 2008 tourist abduction in Egypt, the country had not gained much experience in coordinating tourist rescue operations. In fact, the September tourist abduction was Egypt’s first experience in rescuing a Western tour group kidnapped from its borders as foreigner and other tourist abductions are more commonplace at the western end of the North African desert, as well as in Sudan.
Although the tourists and their Egyptian guides were rescued unharmed ten days later on September 29, 2008, the successful abduction operation and the kidnappers’ ability to transport the victims between boarders increases the likelihood for similar abductions to occur in the near to mid-term.
Though media reports deny the exchange of a ransom payment for the hostages, we believe criminal bandits and/or potential terror groups may still be encouraged to carry out similar kidnappings in order to raise funds for their operations in the near to mid-term. Ultimately, news of such incidents could also potentially harm Egypt’s tourism sector, as tourists may be less willing to visit the desert county.
The Kidnapping
Abducted by four or five-masked and armed rebel tribesmen in the southwestern dessert of Gilf al-Kebir, the European group of five Germans, five Italians, one Romanian and eight Egyptians were taken from the remote and sparsely policed area near Egypt’s borders with Sudan and Libya. On September 24, 2008 Sudan said that the hostages were “alive and well,” and that Sudanese and Egyptian security forces were monitoring them from a distance, avoiding a military intervention at that time.
• The kidnappers were holding the hostages just inside Sudanese territory near Jebel Oweinat before they were reportedly moved by shuttle bus into Libyan territory. However, the rescue mission recovered the hostages near the Sudanese-Chadian border.
Initially, the kidnappers had asked for up to $15 million in ransom, and stated that any attempts to rescue the hostages would result in their death. According to Egyptian officials, German authorities had been negotiating with the kidnappers via telephone, while Sudanese and Egyptian forces working with Germany and Italy were searching the deserts for the abducted group.
The Rescue
On September 29, 2008 Egyptian and Sudanese officials carried out a “rescue and recovery” operation near the Sudanese-Chadian border. Since that time, few details have emerged as to how authorities secured their release or how several of the kidnappers were killed. The Italian and German foreign ministries confirmed the release of the hostages, but were both looking into the details of the recovery operation. Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini stated that they carried out “a highly professional operation” with the “intervention of Italian intelligence and experts from the Special Forces” from Germany and Italy.
According to the Egyptian government, no ransom was paid for the hostages’ release. An Egyptian security official authorized to speak to the media stated that six kidnappers were killed in a gun battle with Sudanese troops, and that two of the kidnappers were captured. The official stated that two of the arrested kidnappers told the authorities where the rest of the kidnappers and their captives were hiding. Afterwards, the eleven European tourists and the eight Egyptians were returned to Cairo, where they arranged to return home.
Potential Negative Effect on Tourism
With varied details and contradictory information regarding the release of the hostages, it is not immediately clear whether other essentially unreported negotiations were conducted with the kidnappers in order to ensure the hostages’ safe release. Egypt largely depends on a sound and reputable tourism sector for the stability of its economy, and international news over the kidnapping of Westerners within its boarders may potentially damage its reputation for future Western tourists.
As a result, last week’s kidnapping could severely affect Egypt’s tourism sector and thereby negatively affect the country’s developing economy in the near to mid-term.
