kidnapping

A man buys U.S. dollars in a currency exchange in Benghazi, Libya.

Even a local bank teller can't be trusted in today's Libya

Banking in a failed state is a risky business. In Libya, it's hard to figure out who to trust.

Even a local bank teller can't be trusted in today's Libya
Suspected pirates are paraded aboard a ship at a Lagos naval base after their arrest by Nigerian authorities.

West Africa pirates who once saw oil tankers as the top prize are having to rethink their business

West Africa pirates who once saw oil tankers as the top prize are having to rethink their business
Zara John, 16, holds her baby, with her mother watching in the background.

A teen rescued from Boko Haram captivity still pines for her militant husband

A teen rescued from Boko Haram captivity still pines for her militant husband
American journalist James Foley arrives at the Rixos hotel in Tripoli after being released from capitivity by the Libyan government on May 18, 2011.

America's policy on hostages may have cost the life of James Foley

America's policy on hostages may have cost the life of James Foley
A security official prevents members of the media from approaching a damaged police bus at the site of an explosion in Karachi targeting policemen on February 13, 2014.

How the Taliban took control of organized crime in Pakistan’s largest city

How the Taliban took control of organized crime in Pakistan’s largest city
People carry photographs of missing students during a march in Acapulco on October 17, 2014. On September 26, police allegedly linked to a criminal gang shot dead at least three students and abducted dozens of others during clashes in the southwestern cit

'If they are going to kill us, let them kill us for a just cause,' say Mexican citizens

Iguala, Mexico is a place that's hostile to outsiders and heavily controlled by drug cartels. That makes it an extremely difficult — and dangerous — place to look for the 43 missing students who were allegedly abducted by the local police force.

'If they are going to kill us, let them kill us for a just cause,' say Mexican citizens
Relatives hold pictures of missing students during a demonstration demanding their safe return on the outskirts of Chilpancingo, Mexico, on October 7, 2014.

Mistrust and confusion surround the disappearance of 43 Mexican students

As many as 43 college students are missing and feared dead in the southern Mexican city of Iguala. Investigators are trying to piece together what happened, but with both the police and gangs suspected in the kidnappings, many parents don't trust the government's investigation.

Mistrust and confusion surround the disappearance of 43 Mexican students
Journalist James Foley

If you're a kidnapped American hoping for help from the government, 'that isn’t going to happen'

James Foley's kidnapping and murder is a sad trend in the war in Syria, but it's paying off for terrorist groups. They've collected millions of dollars in ransoms, and journalist David Rohde, who spent seven months in Taliban captivity, says current kidnapping policies aren't keeping journalists safe.

If you're a kidnapped American hoping for help from the government, 'that isn’t going to happen'
The #bringbackourgirls campaign continues to resonate globally.  Students from an all-girls Catholic school in Manila wore masks last month in solidarity with the kidnapped African school girls.

Nigerians still hope for a rescue of their kidnapped girls, even as abductions continue

As hundreds of Nigerian girls remain in the hands of Boko Haram, the government's response remains confused and inadequate to many. Journalist Chude Jideonwo told PRI's The World that the government even tried to ban demonstrations in support of the girls.

Nigerians still hope for a rescue of their kidnapped girls, even as abductions continue
An Israeli woman holds a sign with images of three missing Israeli teenagers, at a rally in Rabin Square in the coastal city of Tel Aviv June 29, 2014. Israel on Thursday named two Hamas Islamists as leading suspects in the June 12 kidnappings of the thre

Three missing Israeli teens are found dead outside the Palestinian town of Hebron

The bodies of three Israeli teens were found dead after an intensive two-week search by the Israeli military. Sheera Fenkel, BuzzFeed's Middle East correspondent, was in Jerusalem as the news broke.

Three missing Israeli teens are found dead outside the Palestinian town of Hebron

Our government can't help the kidnapped schoolgirls, says a Nigerian human rights worker

Nigeria's government has been slow to react and unable to make progress in rescuing the schoolgirls kidnapped in northern Nigeria more than a month ago. That may leave any rescue up to the local people in the area, says Alice Ukoko, who runs Women of Afrika.

Our government can't help the kidnapped schoolgirls, says a Nigerian human rights worker
Nigerian parents

Nigeria's kidnapped girls spur public anger, vigils and a Paris summit

This weekend, there were competing images over whether Nigeria's government is serious about fighting Boko Haram and rescuing the girls who were kidnapped. Nigeria's president cancelled his only planned trip to the scene of the kidnapping, but then attended a summit in Paris where he and neighboring leaders pledged to work together.

Nigeria's kidnapped girls spur public anger, vigils and a Paris summit