Endicott and her driver were kidnapped in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park on April 4, and later released after a $500,000 ransom was paid.
Endicott said that the ordeal felt like pure fear.
The American tourist who was kidnapped during a safari vacation in Uganda spoke out about the ordeal three weeks after her abduction.
Kimberly Endicott and her safari driver were kidnapped by four men in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park on April 4.
They were released four days later after a $500,000 ransom was paid.
Endicott said she first thought the men were park rangers carrying guns, but soon realized they were not in uniform.
“They make us get out of the vehicle … they make us sit on the ground and that’s when things go very – I don’t know how to describe it – there’s really not a word to describe what that felt like. Pure fear. But that almost doesn’t do it justice,” Endicott said.
She said that while the men ransacked their vehicle, she and her guide were told to sit on the ground, while an older couple on the tour were told to keep standing.
Then suddenly, Endicott said, she and the guide were whisked off by the men.
It just really, when I think back about it, it felt like, ‘swoosh,’ and that’s it. We’re off, she said.
Her guide was identified as Congolese national Jean-Paul Mirenge Remezo.
Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.
It spreads over 760 square miles and is home to more than 95 mammal species and more than 600 bird species.
An American tourist who was kidnapped with her driver in a national park in southwestern Uganda has been rescued unharmed, Ugandan police announced Sunday.
Kimberley Sue Endicott, 35, was abducted by gunmen in Queen Elizabeth National Park, near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, on April 4.
The kidnappers later demanded a ransom of $500,000 for her release. Authorities didn't confirm whether any or all of the ransom had been paid, but sources said that the safari company they were traveling with paid it.
She has been located and rescued unharmed," Uganda military spokesman, Brigadier Richard Karemire said. Ugandan government spokesman Ofwono Opondo said in a tweet that the driver had also been rescued.
The Uganda Media Centre said Wednesday that four armed men kidnapped a woman and a Ugandan driver in park and that officials were conducting a search and rescue operation.
After the two were held at gunpoint, they were taken back to a lodge at the park, a Wild Frontiers Uganda safari operation spokesperson said.
The Ugandan government tweeted Sunday to celebrate the rescue, thanking all security forces involved in the mission. It's unclear what agencies participated.
The park is one of the country's hottest tourist destinations, spreading over 760 square miles and hosting more than 95 mammal species and over 600 bird species.
Ugandan police said in a press release that this is the first incident of its kind in the park and that safety measures have been put in place for local residents and visitors.
Tourism Observer
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