Sophie Pétronin

Maryam Pétronin is a French-Swiss humanitarian aid worker and nutritionist. She is the founder and director of "Aide à Gao", a Swiss non-governmental relief organization that assists children suffering from malnutrition. While working in Gao in 2016, she was abducted by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin, the official branch of Al-Qaeda in Mali. Following her disappearance, the Ministère Public and the General Directorate for Internal Security opened an investigation. She appeared in multiple videos released by her captors, pleading her son and French government for help. She was released in October 2020, alongside Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cisse and two Italian citizens, after being held hostage for 1,381 days. She converted to Islam in 2002, year when she adopted a local girl, Zeinabou and returned to Mali in March 2021 for which she was heavily criticised given the efforts made for her release.