Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru has released a video of a French national kidnapped in December, the SITE jihadi tracking website says.
In the video, posted online on Friday, the hostage identifies himself as 63-year-old Francis Collomp, an engineer with the French firm Vergnet, who was "kidnapped in Rimi in Katsina state on 19 December 2012 till today, 25 September 2013."
The hostage appears wearing a white t-shirt, with an unidentified person holding a weapon in the background.
If authentic, it would be the first video of Collomp to emerge since his abduction.
The abductee's brother, Denis Collomp, told AFP of his relief at seeing the images, while still fearing for his safety.
"I'm relieved, it's good, even though he looked tired," he said from his home in southeastern France.
But he added: "Ansaru have never released a single hostage, so it's still very worrying," recalling that his brother had undergone a triple heart bypass years ago.
Parts of the short video statement are not clear, but Francis Collomp can be heard calling for "negotiations" for his "safe release."
In the latter half of the three-minute video, the camera focuses on an Arabic statement that addresses "the government(s) of France and Nigeria," according to the translation provided by SITE.
While there is no direct threat of further attacks, or on Collomp's life, the statement vows to treat "treachery and treason" by the French or Nigerian governments with "reciprocity."
France's foreign ministry said it was trying to authenticate the video and was in contact with Collomp's family.
