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American woman, 35, and Ugandan tour guide, 38, are kidnapped from safari park by four gunmen demanding $500,000 for her release

An American woman and her Ugandan driver have been kidnapped from a national park in southwest Uganda, by people demanding a ransom of $50...

An American woman and her Ugandan driver have been kidnapped from a national park in southwest Uganda, by people demanding a ransom of $500,000 for their release, police said on Wednesday.
Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, was on a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park when her vehicle was ambushed by four gunmen on Tuesday evening, a statement from the deputy police spokesman said. 
Ugandan soldiers are hunting the gunmen, who abducted the California woman and Wild Frontiers Safari driver Jean Paul around dusk on Tuesday.

Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, was kidnapped in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, was kidnapped in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
Martin Julius and his wife Barbel were said to be on a Wild Frontiers Safari tour and alerted a manager when they were abandoned in the ambush

'Four armed men, not yet identified, between 5pm and 7pm (1400-1600GMT), staged an ambush and kidnapped an American tourist with his Ugandan driver near Katoke Gate in the Queen Elizabeth National Park,' government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said Wednesday in a statement.
'A joint operation by the Uganda police, Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and Uganda Wildlife Authority Game Wardens is underway to locate and rescue them.'    
Other tourists, who were present when the gunmen attacked but were not abducted or physically harmed, managed to raise the alarm from the lodge where they were staying.
A Canadian elderly couple left behind on the Edward Track between Katoke Gate the wilderness camp, reported to the camp manager who came to rescue them after the incident that occurred between 6pm and 7pm. 
Wild Frontiers Safari tour company names married father-of-two Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo as one of their drivers and says he was born in Congo and grew up near Goma
Wild Frontiers Safari tour company names married father-of-two Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo as one of their drivers and says he was born in Congo and grew up near Goma
Opondo said those 'who were left abandoned and unharmed, later contacted the base (lodge) and were quickly got safely out of any danger.' 
Deputy Police spokesperson ACP Polly Namaye, said the captors took the keys the van the others were left in. 
Their names were reported as Martin Julius and his wife Barbel.
The safari company's website names married father-of-two Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo, 38, as one of their drivers and says he was born in Congo and grew up in the area near Goma. 
He moved to Uganda in 1992 and joined the company with in 2007 with five years of experience in the tourism industry. He speaks English, Swahili and French. 
Police said the initial indications lead them to believe that the kidnapping was financially motivated.
The group quickly made their demand for Shs1.8billion using Endecott’s cellphone.
'We strongly believe this ransom is the reason behind this kidnap,' the police stated. 'The Joint Security teams have cut off all exit areas on the border between Uganda and the DRC in search of the victims.'
On Thursday police said the captors were still use devices from the kidnapped people to ask for ransom money.
Her vehicle was ambushed on a game drive Tuesday evening and driver Jean Paul was taken
Her vehicle was ambushed on a game drive Tuesday evening and driver Jean Paul was taken
Ugandan soldiers are hunting the four gunmen who took the pair on the Edward Track between Katoke Gate the wilderness camp
Ugandan soldiers are hunting the four gunmen who took the pair on the Edward Track between Katoke Gate the wilderness camp
'They (the abductors) continue to use cell phones of the victims to call the lodge they were staying asking for $500,000 ransom, which we will not offer,' Uganda Deputy Police Spokeswoman Namaye said. 
Law enforcement believed the group could still be within the parameters of the park on Wednesday but later expanded their search.
'We strongly believe the perpetrators and victims could still be trapped within our search area,' the statement continued. 'The priority at this point is to locate, rescue and bring them back to safely.' 
The state-run Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) said an armed ranger is supposed to be with tourists and their guides at all times.
'We have armed ranger guides, if you're going out on a drive in the park you're supposed to have one but these tourists went out on their own without a guard,' spokesman Bashir Hangi told Reuters. 
'From their camp in the park, they just got into a vehicle and went out. They should have notified us and informed us that they're going out for a game drive and then we would have availed them a guard but they didn't do this.' 

Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesman Bashir Hangi said: 'They should have notified us and informed us that they're going out for a game drive and then we would have availed them [an armed] guard but they didn't do this'
Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesman Bashir Hangi said: 'They should have notified us and informed us that they're going out for a game drive and then we would have availed them [an armed] guard but they didn't do this'

Queen Elizabeth, in southwestern Uganda lies some 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, famous among tourists for gorilla trekking
Queen Elizabeth, in southwestern Uganda lies some 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, famous among tourists for gorilla trekking
'The operation to rescue the tourist is still ongoing,' Uganda's tourism minister, Godfrey Kiwanda, told AFP on Thursday morning.
NTV reported Army spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire added: 'Let the security forces do their work.' 
The identity of the kidnappers was unclear. The Somali Islamist militant group al Shabaab has carried out attacks in Uganda in the past, but has never kidnapped anyone for ransom there.
The US embassy in Kampala said it 'is aware of reports that an American citizen was kidnapped in the Ishasha area.
They warned to 'exercise caution when traveling to this area due to ongoing security activity'.
'We are hopeful that our efforts will lead to their successful recovery,' police said, adding they have strengthened safety measures. 
'We want to further reassure the public that this is the first incident of its kind registered in such a peaceful setting and those planning to visit the national park and its surrounding should not be discouraged.'
Queen Elizabeth National Park borders Virunga national park, Africa's oldest national park
Queen Elizabeth National Park borders Virunga national park, Africa's oldest national park
Virunga suspended all tourism activities last year following the kidnapping of two British tourists, Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty, in May 2018
Virunga suspended all tourism activities last year following the kidnapping of two British tourists, Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty, in May 2018
Britons and their killed driver, Rachel Masika Baraka, were freed two days after the attack
Britons and their killed driver, Rachel Masika Baraka, were freed two days after the attack 
Queen Elizabeth, in southwestern Uganda lies some 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, famous among tourists for gorilla trekking. 
In 1999, Rwandan rebels killed eight foreign tourists there, inflicting an enormous blow to Uganda's tourist industry.
Queen Elizabeth National Park, one of the East African nation's most famous wildlife reserves, runs along the frontier with conflict-wracked regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 
It borders its famous Virunga national park, Africa's oldest national park.
Virunga suspended all tourism activities last year following the kidnapping of two British tourists, Bethan Davies and Robert Jesty, in May 2018. 
The Britons were freed two days after the attack and their 25-year-old Virunga Park Ranger Rachel Masika Baraka was killed. 
Numerous militia groups and armed gangs roam eastern DR Congo. 

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