The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a " proof of life " going back to " early March " of the French hostage Sophie Pétronin, kidnapped in December 2016 by armed men in Mali, said the son of the humanitarian, Sébastien Chadaud-Pétronin, Wednesday.
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" The Quai d'Orsay speaks of proof of life in early March but no details on it, it's a bit thin but it's better than nothing, " he told franceinfo. “ We are nevertheless delighted to know that she is alive even if that still makes us very sad. "
" It's difficult, " he added. “ We have the impression that there is no prospect of getting Sophie Pétronin out of hell. With all those close to us, we continue to explore how we could help him. "
Sophie Pétronin, who ran a small Franco-Swiss NGO helping children suffering from malnutrition, was kidnapped on December 24, 2016 in Gao, in the north of Mali, and has since been detained by the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM).
In a video released in June 2018 - the latest - the septuagenarian appeared very tired and called Emmanuel Macron, believing that the head of state had " forgotten ".
In November of the same year, his kidnappers had published a statement reporting a " deterioration of his health " and blamed the French government, which, according to them, " obstinacy " " prevented " the closure of this " Business ".