Mogadishu (WDN)- A young South Korean national and his mother‑in‑law have issued a heartfelt plea for rescue after nine harrowing months in al‑Shabaab captivity. In newly released footage, the pair appear visibly shaken, their voices trembling as they call on Seoul to secure their freedom.

“I wake each morning with a knot in my stomach,” the man, who asked not to be named, told our correspondent. “My nights are sleepless; every shadow makes me fear they’ve come to take us again.” His mother‑in‑law, clutching his arm, added in a quiet voice, “I’m too old to endure this any longer. I pray for rain, for anything that might wash away our fear.”

Abducted from the border town of Moyale, Kenya—where Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia meet—on April 12, 2024, the two were seized by al‑Shabaab fighters and taken across the border into Somalia. Locked in a network of remote hideouts, they survived on meager rations and whispered conversation, forbidden from seeing daylight beyond hastily dug pit shelters.

“I have done nothing wrong,” the captive insisted. “We are simple people: he teaches in a small school, and my daughter cares for our home. We ask only that our government speak with al‑Shabaab, open a path to dialogue, and bring us home safely.”

Seoul’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed it is closely monitoring the situation but has offered few details on any back‑channel talks. A spokesperson, Kim Jae‑hoon, expressed “deep concern” and said the government “remains committed to exhausting all diplomatic avenues to ensure their swift and safe return.”

Back in Nairobi, friends and relatives gather each evening for prayer vigils, laying out photos of the two in the hopes that public pressure will spur negotiations. “Every phone call, every news report, gives us a glimmer of hope,” said Eun‑ji Park, a family friend. “But with each passing day, that hope feels smaller. We need our loved ones home.”

As the world watches, the man and his mother‑in‑law continue their improvised broadcast from captivity, their message simple yet profound: “We want to see our country again. We want to hug our children.” With courage in their voices, they remind us that behind every statistic is a human life—and behind every plea, the undying hope of a family praying for reunion.

WardheerNews