There can be few worse things in this world than being held by al-Qaeda so our hearts go out to Stephen Malcolm McGown, a South African, and fellow kidnapped hostage Johan Gustafson of Sweden.

The two men were grabbed by al-Qaeda forces in Mali back in 2011 and a video, obtained by a Mauritanian news agency but not yet available to the public, shows them in good health but pleading for their lives. News24 reports:

The two men are bearded and are seen wearing traditional robes, sitting under a tree, the employee said, adding that it was not known when the video was shot…

The film is said to show a sequence of shots in the desert with an English voiceover before the hostages are shown in a wood, watched over by three masked men dressed in black.

The two hostages, speaking as their kidnappers look on, call in turn for the governments of South Africa and Sweden to secure their freedom, without mentioning negotiations or demands for a ransom.

The two were taken in the city of Timbuktu, along with other Western hostages, from outside their hotel. Whilst one of the hostages has since managed to escape, aided by French forces, the rest remain at the mercy of some of the least savoury characters one can imagine.

[source:news24]