In a new recording allegedly from al Qaeda, the group claims responsibility for the December kidnapping of two Canadian diplomats in Niger.
UN envoy Robert Fowler and his assistant Louis Guay went missing, along with their driver Soumana Moukaila on Dec. 14.
Their car was found abandoned, with the engine still running, about 35 kilometres from the capital city of Niamey.
In the audio recording, aired by Al-Jazeera Tuesday, al Qaeda's North African branch purportedly claims responsibility for the kidnapping.
The voice on the tape is said to be Salah Abu Mohammed, the spokesman for al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa, known by the French acronym AQMI.
On the tape, Mohammed also claims that his group is responsible for the kidnapping of four tourists -- a Briton, a German and two Swiss -- in Mali last month.
"We announce to the general public that the mujahedeen (holy warriors) reserve the right to deal with the six kidnapped according to Islamic Shariah law," Mohammed said.
"The mujahedeen will announce later their conditions... for the release of the kidnapped."
Al-Jazeera said it could not verify the authenticity of the recording. However, the SITE intelligence group, a U.S. based organization that monitors messages from terrorist groups, confirmed its authenticity.
AQMI, based out of Algeria, joined al Qaeda in 2006 and is behind dozens of bombings in the region.
Peter Pham, Director of the Nelson Institute for International and Public Affairs at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., called the group a "franchise of al Qaeda."
"They've engaged in a lot of kidnapping and other criminal-type activities in order to finance their ongoing fight against the governments in the region," Pham told Â鶹´«Ã½net on Wednesday.
Pham said the hostages are most likely being held in the southern part of Algeria or the northern part of Niger.
He said this is the first time AQMI has captured hostages with political credentials.
"We've never seen this before so hopefully they're only asking for ransom as they have in the past and not to make a political statement," Pham said.
Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lisa Monette told CTV.ca Wednesday that the department was "aware" of the Al-Jazeera report but had no further comment on the matter.
In a statement sent later to CTV.ca, Monette said Foreign Affairs "will not comment or release any information which may compromise efforts and jeopardize the safety of Canadians or other citizens and we will not comment on any specifics of our engagement on this file."
UN deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said in New York that the organization was also "aware of the reports" but declined further comment.
Last Sunday, a French news agency reported that the Canadian government has obtained video footage of Fowler and Guay.
Agence-France Press reported that the video had surfaced and was then handed over to Canadian authorities.
The alleged tape shows Fowler and Guay introducing themselves while armed men appear in the background, AFP said.
A source from Mali told AFP that Fowler "asks for a response to the demands of his kidnappers but doesn't provide any more details."
Last month, Niger President Mamadou Tandja said it appeared the missing Canadians had been kidnapped by rebels.
A local rebel group, the Front des Forces de Redressement, initially claimed responsibility for Fowler's kidnapping in a posting on its website. The group's leader later denied this was true.
Fowler, 64, has had a long career in public service, working for Canada and for the UN.
He is a former deputy defence minister, also served as a foreign policy adviser under several prime ministers and previously served as Canada's ambassador to Italy.
Fowler is also a former Security Council member and UN ambassador.
With files from The Associated Press
