The Dutch national kidnapped along with two other tourists in Timbuktu, northern Mali, on Friday is train driver Sjaak Rijke, 51, who was on a trip to cross the Sahara with his partner Til, according to Dutch media reports.

‘I hope my brother is able to remain strong,’ Rijke’s sister Marianne told the paper, who said she knew little about the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping.
Til, also named as Tilly, works in a bank and was able to avoid the heavily-armed kidnappers when they burst into the hotel Alafia at around 14.00. A German tourist was shot dead for refusing to go with the men.
Tent
According to the AD, which has interviewed hotel manager Sisse Boujouma, Til was in the tent attached to the roof of the couple’s Landcruiser when the gunmen burst in. ‘She kept as quiet as she could,’ Boujouma said.
The couple, described as seasoned travellers by the AD, were on a ‘dream trip’ to cross the Sahara. The AD reports that according to their online diary of the journey, they ignored warnings about the dangers of kidnapping.
‘Al-Qaeda is supposed to be here,’ the AD quoted Til as saying ‘We have no idea if it is true or not or just a way of getting a bit of money out of tourists for protection.’
More incidents
According to AFP, incidents involving armed gangs are on the rise in the region, which is home to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
On Thursday, two Frenchmen were snatched from their hotel in the northern town of Hombori.
The whereabouts of Rijke and two others abducted on Friday – a Swede and a man of British-South African nationality – remain unknown, AFP said.