After the interview, I thought what it must be like for the poor Chandlers, surrounded by men armed with heavy machine guns who have no value for human life, writes Jamal Osman. For them, killing is part of everyday life.
Jamal Osman is an independent Somali journalist, who in the past has contributed to Channel 4 News. He travelled to interview Paul and Rachel Chandler, the British couple being held in Somalia by pirates.
Interviewing the Chandlers, the British couple held by Somali pirates, has been an unpleasant experience. As a Somali living in Britain, I feel a sort of connection with both the gangs and the hostages. The captors are fellow Somalis while the captives are fellow Brits.
Travelling to my home country, Somalia, which is one of the most dangerous places in the world, is always a risk. More worryingly, though I organised the trip through local contacts in the region, spending time with the gangs was frightening.
While I knew at the back of my mind that these gunmen could kill me, I had to approach them, not as criminals, but as people with important and interesting information.
During the interview, I got emotional at times but had to hide that from the gunmen so as not to upset them. They were standing right behind me, with translators listening every word of the interview.
After the interview, I thought what it must be like for the poor Chandlers, surrounded by men armed with heavy machine guns who have no value for human life. For them, killing is part of everyday life.
But, since the gangs are not politically motivated, their interest in the Chandlers is the hope of the financial gain from ransom money. This particular gang seemed experience in kidnapping and one of them told me that it was his third such case.
Credit to the Chandlers, I was very impressed with them and the way they are coping with this horrific ordeal. In particular, Rachel seemed resilient. The gang was even complaining about her determination not to be terrorized.
One of them said: “If you tell Rachel to do something, she will ask why. Sometimes she becomes aggressive toward our boys. She wants to control us.”
As a journalist who is keen on highlighting the suffering of fellow humans, as I have done previously, I hope my trip to Somalia helps to save the couple from this ordeal.