Niger (13 and 14 December 2008)

As the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative to End the Rebellion in Northern Niger

Saturday 13 December 2008 – Along the Niger River

The next day, on Sunday 14 December, Louis and I drove North of Niamey to visit a Canadian owned gold mine operated by SEMAFO from Montreal, hoping (in vain, as it turned out) resource revenues might help end the Tuareg rebellion in the North.

After lunch with SEMAFO staff, we headed back to the ferry in order to cross back over the Niger and then on to Niamey to dine with the Canadian representative in Niger.

Once back on the south side, late in the afternoon, we left the ferry and headed for home. Five minutes after this shot, we were kidnapped by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and taken into the far northern Malian desert, where we remained for 130 days.