Dr Ken Elliott and Jocelyn Elliott are Christian missionaries who served for 44 years in a 120-bed hospital they built in Djibo, Burkina Faso, a nation in West Africa, where Ken was the only surgeon.
In 2016, they were both kidnapped by al-Qa’ida-linked jihadists. Jocelyn was released after 3 weeks, but Ken was held captive for seven years. In May 2023, at 88 years of age, he was reunited with Jocelyn and his family.
Their citations read “For distinguished service to international relations through humanitarian medical care in remote regions of Burkina Faso.”
“Following their capture, local people started a Facebook page to campaign for their release, the BBC reported. ‘Elliott is a Burkinabe and a humane person… He represents the best of humanity,’ one post read.
“Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and other extremist groups in north and west Africa have long used kidnapping for ransom as a way of raising money.”
The Elliotts gave their testimony at the Kewick Convention in the Uk in 2023: “We originally went to Benin to reopen a hospital that belonged to the mission, but had been closed for a couple of years due to lack of a doctor. And we went out for two years, but stayed for four before they found that doctor. And during that time, we travelled through a number of countries around that area, which was, of course, West Africa. And we went up into the Sahara and Timbuktu, as everybody had been telling me to go.
“We saw during that foraging that the countries in the Sahara that we went through, anyway, there was a huge lack of surgical facilities at the end of our term. And before we went home, we discussed with the government of Burkina Faso the possibility of returning to conduct a surgical unit in the country. And they were with that. When we returned to Burkina Faso in 1972, we were granted land of about eight hectares on the edge of a town called D’jibo in the northwest of Burkina Faso.
“And, excuse me, we began with very little resources. We’d spend all our money on a Land Rover to come across the desert, and we had a principle that we would not ask for or advertise for funds, but just rely on God’s provision through prayer. And I think that was a very good decision because he has been providing for us ever since over the next 44 years working there, we can testify to his daily provision in big and little things.”
Jocelyn Elliott described their kidnapping: “We were just after our evening meal, there was a knock on the door. Ken went, and armed men burst through the door. They took us violently to an awaiting car, were made to lie down in the back of the pickup and driven away. We eventually made camp, being guarded by about half a dozen men. In the three weeks I was held with Ken, we moved camp about three times. Conditions were basic, but we were not mistreated; however, not fully understanding what was occurring at the time. On that first day, we believed we were going to be shot.
“I recall at that time holding onto the promise that Christ is my righteousness and we were prepared to meet the Lord. This, however, did not happen. I was unexpectedly released. Three weeks later we said our goodbyes, not knowing if we would see each other again. Ken remained detained and continued to be moved sporadically in remote areas. He was not used for his medical skills as was a widespread rumour during that time. The solidarity we received from the local community of Jibo throughout this time was also heartening. We know that the town itself is experiencing great hardship, isolation, and food shortages at this present time, and we grieve and pray for those who are suffering.”
Ken Elliott recounted his captivity: “I was convinced that God had a purpose in what was happening, and I had the example of Job, and we desired that we had right from the beginning desired that the Lord would be glorified in our work. And yes, the Bible was central, though I didn’t have one because I wasn’t permitted. But I had previously thankfully memorised a number of Psalms and patches of John’s gospel and various odds and ends. And these were a great help because I was able to meditate on these and pray for myself and for my captors. But I also experienced a number of physical challenges that weren’t the best place to be healthy. And the worst, I think, was experiencing scurvy, a lack of vitamin C.
“I’ve only seen one case of vitamin C in my medical career, and that was me, but it was to a degree where I was unable to walk, I could crawl, and that was difficult in the end. And nevertheless, the Lord was gracious and eventually my captors found some vitamin C for me, which turned the tide right around because I thought I was finished. But I believe that many people were praying for us. And from experience, I was confident that God answers prayer. It’s since my release that I’ve heard of just how many people have been praying. Multitudes of people unknown to us have contacted us since that time, since I came home, which demonstrates that we are just one big global family.”
The ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program covered their story in 2024.
“Kidnapping for ransom had been a standard fundraising ploy of the Islamists for more than a decade. Dozens of foreigners – mostly white European mining engineers, missionaries, aid-workers, or tourists – had been kidnapped and held for months or years,” Jonathan Holmes reported for Foreign Correspondent.
“Usually, in the end, European governments had covertly paid ransoms for their release. Some estimates put the kidnappers’ earnings from ransoms since 2008 at well over $200 million.
“But the Elliotts were not tourists, or workers for a foreign company, or visiting aid workers. They had lived and worked in Djibo for 40 years.”
A headline in today’s Australian sums up their story: “Hostages put others’ lives ahead of their own”
Main Image: Ken and Jocelyn Elliott. Image source: Rebekah Ziesmer Strand Facebook