Béatrice Stöckli (died 9 October 2020) was a Swiss Christian missionary. She was killed in 2020 after having been taken hostage by the Islamic militant group Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, a branch of Al-Qaeda in Mali.

Biography

Stöckli was from Basel.[1] She worked as an Evangelical Christian missionary in Mali.[2] Stöckli was kidnapped in April 2012, after being in Mali for ten years, by an Islamic extremist group.[3] She was later released under the terms that she not return to Mali.[3][4] She returned, and was kidnapped again in 2016 by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, the official branch of Al-Qaeda in Mali, while working in Timbuktu.[5][6] In July 2017 she appeared in a video released by the terrorist group, wearing a black headscarf, and was identified as "Beatrice S."[7]

On 9 October 2020 French authorities notified the Swiss Federal Government that a Swiss hostage in Mali was killed by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, after her death was confirmed by fellow hostage Sophie Pétronin.[8][9] Her death was confirmed by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.[8][10] Ignazio Cassis, the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, released a statement saying "It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of our fellow citizen. I condemn this cruel act and express my deepest sympathy to the relatives."[11][12][13]

Stöckli's remains were recovered in March 2021.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Missionary Beatrice Stoeckli named as Swiss Mali victim". thelocal.ch. October 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Switzerland says Swiss hostage in Mali has been killed". AP NEWS. October 9, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Uccisa in Mali dai terroristi la svizzera Beatrice Stöckli impegnata in una missione caritatevole". catt.ch (in Italian). October 10, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Mali: Basler Missionarin Beatrice Stöckli wurde erschossen". Blick (in German). October 11, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Swiss missionary killed in Mali by jihadists". web24.news. October 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Béatrice Stöckli, l'otage suisse décédée au Mali est une missionnaire enlevée quatre ans plus tôt". RTBF Info (in French). October 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Swiss hostage killed by terrorists in Mali, says Switzerland". DW.COM. October 10, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Swiss hostage killed in Mali". SWI swissinfo.ch. October 10, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  9. ↑ AFP-Agence France Presse (October 10, 2020). "Swiss Hostage Killed In Mali Was Missionary: Govt". Barron's.
  10. ↑ "Switzerland says Swiss hostage in Mali has been killed". Associated Press. October 9, 2020. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  11. ↑ "Swiss hostage in Mali killed by terrorists". Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA (in Italian, German, French, and English). October 9, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Switzerland says its national held hostage in Mali killed". Al Jazeera. October 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Mali hostages: Swiss woman killed last month". BBC News. October 9, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Swiss hostage in Mali: Remains of missionary identified". BBC News. March 31, 2021.
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