Hostage, part 2: Escape across the sand dunes

As a young French-Canadian who'd overcome her teenage agoraphobia, Edith Blais took several years to work up the courage to go travelling - but having done it she'd got the bug. In 2018 she went to West Africa with her good friend Luca Tacchetto. When they got to Benin, they were kidnapped by armed militants, and taken to the desert in a lawless area of Mali, where groups linked to al-Qaeda were known to operate.
The couple pretended to be husband and wife so they could stay together, but Edith soon found herself held captive alone. After agreeing to convert to Islam, she was reunited with Luca - by this time they'd been held for fourteen months - and they knew they had to break free. But with their captors never more than a few feet away from them, how would they do it? Edith Blais tells Jo Fidgen how forces of nature aided their staggering escape. Her book about her time in captivity is called The Weight of Sand.

This episode comprises the final part of Edith's interview with Jo Fidgen. The first part was broadcast on yesterday's Outlook, or you can listen to the whole interview in one go, as a podcast.

Jihyun Park was a slave bride, gave birth in secret and lived in a labour camp before fleeing North Korea for the UK. She spoke to Jo Fidgen about her great escape in March 2018.

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Presenter: Jo Fidgen

Picture: Edith Blais
Credit: Sara Mauve Ravenelle