KIDNAPPED
SOMALIA, 2008 – 2009
On August 23, 2008, 27-year-old aspiring journalist Amanda Lindhout and her colleague, photographer Nigel Brennan, were abducted by Islamist extremists while exploring the outskirts of Mogadishu for potential stories. After six weeks of being whisked across war-torn Somalia, the pair were moved into a concrete building where they would remain for the duration of their captivity. “Nigel and I lived like a two-person family, doing what we could to fight off depression, to distract ourselves from the gnawing hunger,” wrote Lindhout. “Nigel fashioned a small backgammon game, crafting playing pieces from Q-tips.” They played as much as they could, remaining mentally active to preserve their sanity. They also attempted to humanise themselves to their captors, regularly engaging them in conversation and even telling them that they wished to convert to Islam. The strategy worked, to an extent, but the pair became convinced that they’d be killed after they were moved into separate cells and the Somalis with whom they had been abducted mysteriously disappeared. They conspired to escape by tunnelling through the wall of the bathroom they shared and eventually succeeded in doing so, although they were immediately tracked down by their captors. “We made it out but not truly out,” Lindhout wrote of the failed escape attempt. “Everything that followed would be aftermath, punishment.” Lindhout and Brennan remained hostages for another 10 months until their families were finally able to raise the $1 million to pay their ransom. They were freed on November 25, 2009, 460 days after they had been taken.
THE EXPERTS’ TAKE: From the moment you’re abducted, survival hinges on your ability to read and manipulate your captors, says Teti. “Try to ascertain why you’ve been abducted. There are a variety of motivations, from sexual assault to ransom demands to political leverage,” he says. “How you interact with your captors and whether you risk an escape attempt should depend partly on those motivations. If somebody is holding you for ransom or to negotiate the release of prisoners, you’re most likely worth a lot more to them alive than dead.” Regardless of what is motivating your captors, and no matter how vile they may be, staying on their good side should be a priority from the start. “Keep your dignity,” says Teti. “It’s generally harder for a person to kill you or harm you if you humanise yourself. Don’t grovel, don’t beg, don’t become hysterical, and, if possible, don’t even cry. And be a good listener. Care about what they’re saying to you. Don’t patronise them – they’ll feel more comfortable around you and more benevolent toward you if you’re a good listener. But you need to watch out for warning signs. If they suddenly stop feeding you or they start treating you more harshly – they start dehumanising you – or if they suddenly seem desperate or frightened, or if other hostages are being taken away and not being brought back, you may want to think about escape.”
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