how do negotiations work?

During a hostage taking, the purpose for the kidnappers is to impose a price, in return for the life of a person. This amount can vary according to several parameters: the age, the nationality of the person, his status and the person with whom the negotiations will be started. “We observe that a hostage can be worth between a few tens or hundreds of thousands of euros in Colombia and several million euros, for example in the Sahel”.

“Hostage negotiations are the most complex”

In France, the government is ready to finance the release of nationals of the country: “It is very difficult to have very precise figures but we suspect the government and Areva of having paid more than 40 million euros to free seven French hostages who had been held in Niger in the early 2010s. Before starting a negotiation, it is necessary to identify the abductor and create a channel for discussion. Talks can sometimes drag on for years. “You have kidnappers playing a dupe game with the States. They use threats and intimidation. They contact you several times a day or not at all for several months. These are negotiations that are particularly complex”.

Different policies depending on the country and status

In France, a journalist taken hostage could be subject to state mobilization. Conversely, the United States government will not fund the journalist’s release. For the country, just as England advocates “ITo firmness in negotiations with terrorist groups”. This choice is explained by the refusal to deal with these terrorist organizations but also by a fear that the payments will encourage the kidnappers to perpetrate kidnappings or demand ransoms.

In other cases, the operation may differ. This is the case for people working in the humanitarian sector. “There are two solutions: either your employer pays to release you because he will be authorized to do so if it is a criminal organization but if it is a terrorist organization, the State of citizenship takes over because you will not be able to authorize payment “. A policy that can be fatal for the hostages: “Failure to pay usually leads to the death of hostages“. Ie rescue by force, another tactic, then allows “to emerge from the top of the dilemma imposed by the kidnappers and, at the same time, not to pay them but also to bring back the hostages”. However, it remains very risky.