American Aid Worker Jessica Buchanan Recounts 93-Day Kidnapping in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia – American aid worker Jessica Buchanan has shared harrowing details of her 93-day abduction in Somalia, recounting the fear and deprivation she endured during her captivity.

Buchanan, 32 at the time, was kidnapped on October 25, 2011, while carrying out humanitarian work in Galkacyo, following a work trip from Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland.

The abduction occurred despite her traveling with a security convoy. Armed men dressed in police uniforms intercepted her and Poul Hagen Thisted, a Danish colleague, forcing them southward.

During her captivity, Buchanan observed very young children armed with weapons, including an 11-year-old boy carrying an AK-47, whom she said was being trained in kidnapping and ransom operations.

"It was unimaginable to take orders from an 11-year-old pointing a knife at my throat," Buchanan said, describing the constant fear and humiliation she faced.

Her captors demanded a $45 million ransom, treating her and Thisted as high-value hostages similar to pirates who seize commercial vessels. Buchanan emphasized that as aid workers, they had no independent means or governments able to meet such a ransom, heightening the danger.

Buchanan also endured serious illness and extremely poor living conditions. She recounted making her final call in January 2012, fearing for her life if she did not receive medical attention.

"All I could think was: ‘God, God, God, we are being kidnapped again. This is likely Al-Shabaab, and I won’t survive.’
‘I have no energy, no strength, no power to escape another group. I am really going to die here.’"

Her rescue came unexpectedly. She described how a stranger grabbed her shoulders and attempted to pull her from the blanket she was wrapped in. At that moment, she heard a young American voice call her name:

"Jessica, it’s okay. You are safe now."

In the early hours of January 25, 2012, following orders from President Barack Obama, 24 U.S. Navy SEALs landed by helicopter near the compound holding Buchanan and Thisted.

The rescue operation resulted in the deaths of nine Somali captors, with no casualties among the U.S. forces. Both Buchanan and Thisted were freed unharmed.

GAROWE ONLINE