France rules out negotiations with kidnappers of French family

 
The French Ministry of Defense ruled out negotiations with the abductors of a French family seized in Cameroon on February 19, following the surfacing of a YouTube video depicting the hostages on Monday.        

"We do not negotiate on these terms, with these groups," Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a radio interview, AFP reported.         

"What we do is use all possible means to ensure the release of hostages, be they these or others," he said. "But we do not play this bidding game because that is terrorism."       

The abductors claimed to be from the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram. They demanded the release of prisoners in exchange for the release of the hostages.                       

The kidnappers, claiming to be from the Nigerian group Boko Haram, say they carried out the abduction in part due to France's "war against Islam," apparently a reference to French military action in Mali.         

The family, with children aged 5 to 12, were kidnapped in the West African nation while visiting a national park.