Sophie Pétronin

Maryam Petronin 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 for help from her son and from the French government. During her captivity, Pétronin converted to Islam and took the name Mariam. She was released in October 2020, alongside Malian opposition leader Soumaila Cisse and two Italian citizens, after being held hostage for 1,381 days. Pétronin revealed that Béatrice Stöckli, a Swiss Christian missionary who had been held hostage alongside her, was killed earlier that year by the terrorist organization.