Sonja Nientiet urges swift German government intervention, warning her health is critically deteriorating after seven years in captivity.
In a new video released after seven agonizing years of captivity in Somalia, German nurse Sonja Nientiet has urgently pleaded for the German government to intensify efforts to secure her immediate release. Nientiet, who was abducted in Mogadishu in 2018 while working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), expressed dire concerns about her rapidly deteriorating health.
“My health is deteriorating,” Nientiet says emotionally in the video, posted by an individual named Liibaan Osman. She urgently warns that “every day that passes makes the situation more critical,” emphasizing that her prolonged captivity could soon claim her life.
Nientiet was kidnapped on May 2, 2018, after armed assailants—allegedly with inside help from a disgruntled security guard—stormed the ICRC office in Mogadishu. Despite intensive German intelligence efforts to track down her location and captors, who have demanded millions of dollars in ransom, the nurse remains captive and vulnerable.
The release of this disturbing footage has intensified pressure on the German government to secure Nientiet’s freedom. Yet, authorities have publicly maintained their longstanding policy of silence on hostage negotiations, declining direct comment.
Before her abduction, Nientiet had provided humanitarian assistance in Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, highlighting her commitment to aid in conflict zones. The ICRC expressed renewed urgency following the video, stating deep concern for her safety and health.
With her desperate plea now public, the stakes for Germany have dramatically increased, shifting the crisis into an urgent test of diplomatic resolve—one where each passing day could tragically mark the difference between life and death.
