“Friday afternoon the French authorities informed the Swiss authorities that the Swiss hostage in Mali is dead, says a foreign ministry press releaseExternal link. “She was apparently killed by kidnappers of the Islamist terrorist organisation Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslim (JNIM) about a month ago.”
The press release does not name the hostage, but Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA reports that she was Béatrice Stöckli, a missionary from Basel who worked in Timbuktu.
More
More
The Swiss woman who was kidnapped in Mali – twice
This content was published on
“I can’t talk about it, I’m really in shock,” Stöckli* told the media back in 2012, after her kidnappers, the jihadist group Ansar Dine, let her go following nine days in captivity. She called her mother from the rescue helicopter but didn’t make any promises about coming home, according to statements her mother made to…
The Swiss foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, expressed “great sadness” at news of her death. “I condemn this cruel act and express my deepest sympathy to the relatives,” he said.
The exact circumstances of the killing are currently still unclear. News of the death “was obtained by the French authorities from the recently released French hostage”, says the ministry press release. French aid worker Sophie Pétronin, a Malian opposition politician and two Italians were released in Bamako, Mali, on Thursday night, ending their lengthy captivity in the hands of Islamist insurgents.
The Swiss authorities say they are “making every effort to find out more about the circumstances of the killing and the whereabouts of the remains” and would also approach the transition government in Mali to this end.
A previous version of this article referred to Pétronin as having Swiss citizenship; according to the Swiss foreign ministry, she is a French national only, and does not hold Swiss nationality.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
The citizenship obstacle course facing spouses of Swiss Abroad
Swiss committee wants to end government resignations during legislative term
This content was published on
Members of the Federal Council should no longer be able to leave office before the end of their term, according to a House of Representatives committee.
Swiss government seat: Ritter and Pfister nominated to succeed Amherd
This content was published on
Markus Ritter from St Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug were officially nominated by the Centre Party on Friday to succeed Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
Top Swiss court rejects Russian request for administrative tax assistance
This content was published on
There is currently no reason to transmit banking information to the Russian Federation, the Swiss Federal Court has ruled.
After strike by radiologists, doctors demonstrate in Bern
This content was published on
Following a strike by radiology technicians in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists and chiropractors expressed their frustration on Friday outside parliament in the Swiss capital.
Eurovision and bleak world situation are top themes at Basel carnival
This content was published on
The Eurovision Song Contest and the gloomy global situation are among the main themes of Basel Fasnacht (carnival) this year.
Prices of Swiss investment properties continue to rise despite stagnating rents
This content was published on
Although rents in Switzerland stagnated or fell in the final quarter of last year, prices for investment properties continued to rise. Both apartment buildings and office properties have become more expensive.
Probe into wrong Swiss pension figures clears federal office
This content was published on
Employees of the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) did not breach their duty of care when calculating pension prospects, an investigation has concluded.
This content was published on
Hotels in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino welcomed significantly more guests last December than in the same month of the previous year.
Video shows proof of life of Swiss hostage in Mali
This content was published on
An al-Qaeda affiliate in North Africa released a third video this week to prove Swiss missionary worker Beatrice Stöckli is alive.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.