French hostage killed to even the score by Claudia Sonea

Make love not war is the advice given to people all over the world by John Lennon in his song Mind Games. Politicians are those who through the dices and they often choose the war as a mean of fulfilling their goals. Nonetheless, the ones that have to suffer are the poor people, the ones that have to fight in other people’s battles, the collateral victims. Michel Germaneau is an innocent victim who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong moment. His crime was that of wanting to help the others who were less fortunate than him. Yet, the war against al-Qaeda would engulf him just like many! others and it eventually led to his death. After joining the ONG Enminal as electronic engineer, he travelled to Africa to help construct a school and a dispensary in the small village d’In-Abangharet. This year in April, the 78-year-old French returned to the village full of hope and joy as the works were over and the school was ready to enlighten the children. He did not suspect even for a moment that it will be his last trip from which he will never return. After being captured by a terrorist group affiliate of Osama bin Laden, he suffered is terrible conditions the overwhelming heat and his heart illness aggravated. Germaneau was last seen alive on May 14 when the terrorists gave an ultimatum to the French President and his administration. He looked exhausted and desperate as he did not have any more medications, while the he heat was overbearing. Following a rescue raid organized by th! e French, the hostage was killed and the leader of AQIM, Abu M! usab Abd ul Wadud, released a video tape saying that the killing revenged the deaths of those who died in the raid. Moreover, his declaration seemed to be one of war against France.

related story (sgx17885): http://www.france24.com/en/20100725-french-hostage-executed-...

by Claudia Sonea for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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