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On 26 May 2023, a third proof of life video was released for South African paramedic, Gerco van Deventer, who is being held by the militant group, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), and has been in their custody since November 2017. In the video, van Deventer is seen wearing clean clothes and seems healthy enough to sit upright. That being said, he has previously spoken about having broken his arm while in captivity and that his eyesight is deteriorating.
Though the first proof of life video was released in January 2019, the kidnapping was not made public until 06 January 2023, when a second proof of life photo was released by JNIM. Who Mr. van Deventer was had many iterations. Once described as a journalist, it subsequently came to light that Gerco van Deventer was a combat paramedic from South Africa, purportedly kidnapped in Libya by AQIM and subsequently smuggled into Mali by JNIM in November 2017.
While little else is known, TRAC did learn that Gerco van Deventer was kidnapped, along with three other Turkish men, while working as a paramedic for the Turkish construction company, Enka. At the time of his abduction, he was working near El Sharara oil field in Fezzan, Libya. A ransom demand of $1.5 million USD was made by JNIM.
|  | Proof of Life images of Gerco van Deventer: (L) January 2023, (C) March 2013, and (R) May 2023. | |
After the second proof of life video was released, prompted by the South African government's unwillingness to pay ransoms, JNIM reduced their ransom to $1 million USD. It should be noted that the three Turkish men who were abducted with van Deventer were released after Turkey paid their ransom.
The quick succession of the last two proof of life videos indicates a push by JNIM to get the word out, in order to facilitate a ransom faster. TRAC contends that the campaign by ISGS against JNIM in Mali and Burkina Faso that is currently ongoing, is creating a sense of desperation for JNIM, who is in dire need of money to fend off the relentless ISGS assaults.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Fifteen Yoruba Youth Storm Alausa Police Division,
Ikeje, Lagos State, Nigeria
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At 05:35 am local time on 28 May 2023, fifteen Yoruba youth stormed the Alausa Police Division in Ikeje, Lagos State, Nigeria. The youth created a ruckus, shouting “Yoruba Nation has taken over” while injuring the police officers who tried to detain them. Two of the youth were arrested while the rest were able to flee a coordinated response by local police. The two arrested youth were found in possession of cutlasses, protective charms, and insignias associated with the Yoruba Nation Army.
The Yoruba are an ethnic group that spans Togo, Benin, and Nigeria — an area that they refer to as Yorubaland (see the map above). Within the Nigerian borders, Yorubaland was subsumed into the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the 1960s. Since that time to Yoruba people have been fighting for independence from Nigeria. The country of Nigeria fights these efforts of course with the primary reason being that the lands the Yoruba claim are located in the oil-rich South. Should the Yoruba gain independence it would certainly hurt Nigeria monetarily.
This youth movement was allegedly in response to what they felt was UN endorsement for the rights of the Yoruba people to create their own nation. However, TRAC cannot corroborate any such endorsement, as the Yoruba people are still listed as of 16 May 2023 among stateless nations, much like the Kurds in Iraq and Syria.
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TRAC Incident Report:
‘Restore Wetlands’ Climate Activists Storm the Stage During a
Live Performance at 'Dancing with the Stars' TV Show Finale, in Stockholm, Sweden
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(L) Climate activist on DWTS stage; (R) Activist suing TV station for the injuries sustained due to being hit by a 'boom' camera. | |
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On 27 May 2023, three climate change activists belonging the group, 'Restore Wetlands,' broke into and charged a TV4 stage during a live-taping of the final round competition of the Swedish version of the popular 'Dancing with the Stars.' The activists released yellow paint powder and displayed a large yellow banner which read 'Restore Wetlands.'
When the activists stormed the stage, Olympic cross-country skier Charlotte Kalla and her partner Tobias Karlsson were in the middle of their performance. The three perpetrators were promptly tackled and apprehended. Additionally, reports emerged on social media that shortly after the three activists stormed the stage, someone from the staff of TV4 channel jumped in to protect dancer Charlotte Kalla who is currently pregnant.
All three will face charges of criminal vandalism; however, one male activist is said to be suing the TV4 station due to being hit in the face with a camera. TRAC contends that the operator maneuvering the said camera, known as a ‘boom’ camera, intentionally intervened on the demonstrator in order to disrupt the protest. It should be of concern that the activists so easily gained access to the stage, begging the question what security protocols need to be put in place to guarantee that this type of attention-grabbing efforts cannot happen again?
This incident is the last of a long series of protests carried out by environmental groups across Europe since 2022. On 21 May 2023, several Italian environmental activists from ‘Ultima Generazione (Last Generation)’, poured diluted vegetable charcoal into the water of the historic Trevi Fountain, in central Rome.
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TRAC Incident Report:
Islamic State (IS) Insiders Report the Discovery of the Dead Body of the Owner of an Oil Refinery in Saqzli Village Near the
Shwan Junction, North of Kirkuk, Iraq
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Aram Assi Fattah, owner of the oil refinery in Saqzli Village | |
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On 27 May 2023, Islamic State insiders reported the discovery of the dead body of "Aram Assi Fattah," was the owner of an oil refinery in Saqzli Village near the Shawn Junction, North of Kirkuk. It was further reported that he was assassinated using a gun with a silencer.
Though an incident reported by IS insiders is usually a sign of the group's involvement, especially given the detail regarding a 'gun with a silencer,' TRAC cannot state definitively that IS militants are behind the assassination. The fact that he was the owner of an oil refinery undoubtedly made him a target for a number of parties including Islamic State and their competitors. In addition, given that he was assassinated by someone using a gun with a silencer, a practice IS is not necessarily known for, it is highly likely to be a case of mutual rivalry. That said, Islamic State has been targeting oil company employees as well as the roads that lead in and out of refineries over 2023 in Iraq.
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TRAC Incident Report: Authorities Seize 1.2 Tons of Australia-Bound Methamphetamine Disguised as Packages of Tea, Songkhla Province, Thailand | |
TRAC Incident Report: Mysterious Team Bangladesh Hack French Postal Service Website | |
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TRAC Incident Report: Suspected Islamic State “Hot Summer” Arson on Wheat Crops Belonging the Hashd Militia, Southwest of Kirkuk,
Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq
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