Spanish tourist kidnapped in Algeria amid rising security concerns in Sahel region

Friday 17 January 2025 - 08:20

By: Dakir Madiha

Spanish tourist kidnapped in Algeria amid rising security concerns in Sahel region

A Spanish national has been abducted by terrorists in southern Algeria, with the incident highlighting growing security challenges in the region. The kidnapping, which occurred on Wednesday, January 15, was carried out by members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS).

While Spanish and Sahelian media have reported on the abduction, Algerian authorities have yet to make any official statement about the incident. The Spanish government has initiated an investigation based on what they describe as "reliable and consistent" local sources.

According to El Pais, EIGS operatives transported the victim from southern Algeria into Mali. Initial reports suggested the kidnapped individual was female, but Spanish officials later confirmed the victim is male, as reported by EFE News.

In response to the incident, Spain has issued advisories to its citizens traveling in Algeria, requesting them to register their movements with Spanish consulates and the Algerian gendarmerie. Other Western nations have also warned their citizens about the risks associated with travel to Algeria, particularly in certain high-risk areas.

This kidnapping follows a similar incident just six days earlier when terrorists abducted an Austrian woman in Niger. Both cases have been attributed to EIGS, a terrorist organization that emerged in 2015 after breaking away from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

EIGS was established by Adnan Abu El Walid Es-Sahraoui, a former Polisario militia member who was killed in a French airstrike in 2022. The group maintains extensive networks throughout southern Algeria and the Sahel region, underscoring the persistent security threats faced by Algeria in managing its vast southern territories.