Françoise Claustre(1937-2006)
Françoise Claustre was a French ethnologist and archaeologist. She travelled to Chad from 1964 to 1968 for missions and lived there afterwards until 1974.
In April 1974, she was captured by rebel tribes opposing the government. Her husband, Pierre Claustre, directly tried to negotiate her liberation but was also captured in August 1975. She gave a filmed interview to director Raymond Depardon in August 1975, which had an important impact on French public opinion, and another one in May 1976 (these interviews are included in the movies Tchad 2: L'ultimatum (1975) and Tchad 3 (1976), respectively). Following these, the French government agreed to pay the ransom asked by the rebels: Françoise and Pierre Claustre were liberated in January 1977. Françoise had been held captive for almost 3 years.
Afterwards, she lived and worked in France.
In April 1974, she was captured by rebel tribes opposing the government. Her husband, Pierre Claustre, directly tried to negotiate her liberation but was also captured in August 1975. She gave a filmed interview to director Raymond Depardon in August 1975, which had an important impact on French public opinion, and another one in May 1976 (these interviews are included in the movies Tchad 2: L'ultimatum (1975) and Tchad 3 (1976), respectively). Following these, the French government agreed to pay the ransom asked by the rebels: Françoise and Pierre Claustre were liberated in January 1977. Françoise had been held captive for almost 3 years.
Afterwards, she lived and worked in France.