- Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on Wednesday 19 & Thursday 20 November 2014

Information on the hostage crisis on 16 January 2013 including attempts to liquidate all witnesses

A report issued in April 2014 by the Department of State in April 2014 notes:

“On January 16, AMB attacked the Tiguentourine gas facility (a joint venture among Algerian, British, and Norwegian companies) near In Amenas, in southeastern Algeria. Over 800 people were taken hostage for four days and the attackers killed 39 foreign hostages, including three U.S. citizens” (United States Department of State (30 April 2014) Country Reports on 2013 – Algeria).

In January 2013 Stratfor points out that:

“The objective of the attack was not to kill hostages but to kidnap foreign workers for ransom…” (Stratfor (24 January 2013) The Unspectacular, Unsophisticated Algerian Hostage Crisis).

This document also states:

“Several indicators suggest the Tigantourine operation was intended to seize hostages, not kill hostages” (ibid).

In January 2013 a report by the Jamestown Foundation notes:

“The raiders were reported to have demanded the release of 100 Islamists from Algerian prisons in exchange for the hostages, which seems to have been the real purpose of the hostage-taking…” (Jamestown Foundation (18 January 2013) A Response to the Crusaders?: Defining the True Purpose and Origin of the Attack on In Aménas).

This report also states:

“One of the hostages told 24 TV that the prisoners had been forced to wear explosive belts by the raiders, who promised to blow up the gas plant if attacked by Algerian forces…Another hostage reported that the attackers had mined the entire plant and were well armed with rocket-propelled grenades…As the Algerian military made its final assault on the complex, a spokesman for the hostage-takers was on the phone with a Mauritanian news agency, threatening to kill the hostages against a background of loud explosions before the line went dead…” (ibid).

The in January 2013 commenting on the incident states:

“Algerians evacuated from the site described how the militants searched for foreign workers room by room, killing some outright and booby-trapping others with explosives” (Associated Press (23 January 2013) Algeria militants played shrewd media game).

Reuters in January 2013 states:

“Algeria told Western governments, which voiced dismay at the storming of the facility on Thursday, that troops moved in only because guerrillas were trying to leave with hostages, possibly hoping to reach the Malian border” (Reuters (21 January 2013) Insight-Algeria gas plant gives up its grisly secrets).

Commenting on this issue, a report released in April 2014 by Amnesty International points out that:

“After the security forces intervened, 40 hostages and 29 hostage-takers were reported to have been killed over several days. Despite concerns that the security forces may have been responsible for some of the deaths, expressed in both international and Algerian media, no independent and impartial investigation has taken place” (Amnesty International (14 April 2014) Algeria: Key human rights concerns ahead of presidential elections : Media briefing, p.5).

References

Amnesty International (14 April 2014) Algeria: Key human rights concerns ahead of presidential elections : Media briefing http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE28/004/2014/en Accessed Thursday 20 November 2014

Associated Press (23 January 2013) Algeria militants played shrewd media game http://news.yahoo.com/algeria-militants-played-shrewd-media-game-200054594-- finance.html Accessed Thursday 20 November 2014

Jamestown Foundation (18 January 2013) A Response to the Crusaders?: Defining the True Purpose and Origin of the Attack on In Aménas http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=50fe7e502 Accessed Thursday 20 November 2014

Reuters (21 January 2013) Insight-Algeria gas plant gives up its grisly secrets http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/21/sahara-crisis-raid- idUSL6N0AQ4HB20130121 Accessed Thursday 20 November 2014

Stratfor (24 January 2013) The Unspectacular, Unsophisticated Algerian Hostage Crisis http://www.ein.org.uk/members/country-report/unspectacular-unsophisticated- algerian-hostage-crisis This is a subscription database Accessed Thursday 20 November 2014

United States Department of State (30 April 2014) Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 – Algeria http://www.refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=printdoc&docid=53622a088 Accessed Wednesday 19 November 2014

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Refugee Documentation Centre within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please read in full all documents referred to.

Sources Consulted

Amnesty International BBC News Electronic Immigration Network European Country of Origin Information Network Freedom House Google Human Rights Watch Immigration and Refugee Board of Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre International Crisis Group IRIN News Lexis Nexis Minority Rights Group International Online Newspapers Refugee Documentation Centre E-Library Refugee Documentation Centre Query Database Reliefweb Reuters Home Office United States Department of State UNHCR Refworld ��������������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �����������������������������������������������������