Denel employees held hostage, now released

The company has been informed that the three female employees were released and will soon be reunited with their families. They were part of a group of 12 - all Senegalese citizens - who were captured while performing humanitarian demining services in the Casamance province of Senegal. Denel Mechem is responsible for clearing areas of landmines and unexploded ordnance and to provide landmine awareness programmes to local communities. The demining takes place under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Senegalese National Demining Authority.

Denel has expressed its appreciation for the efforts of international organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UNDP as well as the government of Senegal to secure the release of the hostages. Through the ICRC, Denel has been able to provide the captured workers with clean clothes, bedding and hygienic products and relayed messages from their families. The reports from the ICRC indicate that they are unharmed and in good spirit.

Denel plans to ensure that the released employees are smoothly reintegrated into their workplace.