WATCH Stephen. Mc. Gown recounts years as al Qaeda captive. Johannesburg  Stephen Mc. Gown, the South African man who was held captive for almost six years in Mali, on Thursday recounted his experiences in the Sahara desert, and the changes he had to acclimatise to after he was released last month and arrived back home in Johannesburg. The difficult part of being in the Sahara was that you dont have any information. FX6IvuXY1Rlr8buEYC72fZF.jpg' alt='Watch Timbuktu Online' title='Watch Timbuktu Online' />As much as you ask, nobody is able to tell you anything. Im not sure if they the militants in charge of the captives, referred to as the mujahideen just didnt tell you anything or if they are not allowed to tell you anything. This was difficult. They didnt have many books in English, not knowing Arabic and French that was really the difficulty, not having information and being unable to contact my family, Mc. Gown said at a media briefing in Johannesburg. Coming home, I suspected my mother may have passed away. Last year in December, I received a letter from the South African government asking for my compassionate release. This letter was addressed to the mujahideen asking for compassion, mentioning that my mother was critically ill and may pass away. They gave the letter to me to read, they did not know what was in the letter. I think they were expecting it to cheer me up. I only found out that my mother had passed just ten minutes before getting home with my father last month. He was flanked by his wife Catherine Mc. Watch breaking news videos, viral videos and original video clips on CNN. AOL Radio is powered by humans Great radio is all about unexpected connectionsthe kind that an algorithm cant predict. Pick any station in any of the 30 genres. Gown and his father Malcolm. Mc. Gown was released on July 2. Johannesburg. His mother, Beverly Mc. Gown, passed away in May after making numerous appeals for her sons release. He said there has been several changes back home in his life. To view this video please enable Java. Script, and consider upgrading to a web browser that. HTML5 video. Stephen Mc. Gown recounts the almost six years he spent in Al Qaeda captivity in Mali. Flanked by his wife Catherine and his father Malcolm Mc. Gown, Stephen shared his experiences, including the severe weather conditions he was forced to endure. VIDEO Jonisayi MaromoANAThat Sunday July 3. I received the news that my mother had passed away, but also so many other people have passed away in these six years family members and friends. A bunch of friends have had children, and the children are big now. So much has changed but my mom was a big blow. She was an amazing lady, a role model. I can imagine my mom going through difficult times really wanting to see me before she passed away, said Mc. Gown.  Its life. Its the way it is. I try and see the best in everything but that is one thing I dont understand. I cant see much good in not seeing my mother. All other things, I can try and find positives in them. Mc. Mali facts Official web sites of Mali, the capital of Mali, art, culture, history, cities, geography, travel, airlines, embassies, tourist boards and newspapers. See the list of Directing nominees for Oscars 2017. Get the full list of Oscar nominations, view photos and videos for the 89th Academy Awards. Directed by Kevin Connor. Watch Online Watch Last Train From Gun Hill Full Movie Online Film. With Christopher Lee, Milo OShea, Oliver Tobias, Emma Samms. An evil magician seeks to gain power by obtaining a magic rose. A peasant boy. Our online classes bring outstanding students together with highly accomplished instructors to prepare the students for the rigors of toptier colleges and. SixteenByNine1050-v5.jpg' alt='Watch Timbuktu Online' title='Watch Timbuktu Online' />Gown was travelling through Mali on a trans Africa journey when he was one of three tourists abducted by gunmen from a restaurant in Timbuktu. The attackers shot and killed a fourth tourist, a German, when he refused to climb into their truck. Regarding the day to day conditions in the Sahara desert, Mc. Gown said the environment was challenging. In winter the nights are cold, the days are great. The day is not a problem. You build your hut out of grass and sticks. You may have some cloth that you put on top of it. Its pretty comfortable. Early days were a big problem for security reasons. I think the mujahideen didnt know what the surveillance aeroplanes can and cant see. Everything was really strict. You see an aeroplane, you lie down. Mc. Gown on Thursday. Stephen Mc. Gown, the South African man who was held captive for almost six years in Mali, with his wife Catherine at Gift of the Givers in Johannesburg. Photo Jonisayi Maromo ANAThe winter nights were cold, the winds were actually freezing. I had a blanket, then I had a second blanket but the wind blows right through these things. When the three of us were taken together, we were chained at night. We had handcuffs and our ankles were chained. Sometimes they would forget about us in the morning and we would be sitting there until around 9 or 1. That changed though. Mc. Gown said the captives would get soaked during the heavy thunderstorms. You get absolutely soaked. Its generally in the evenings, at night. You spend the night pretty chilly, wet, with sand in your clothes. Sand everywhere. Its extreme. Its quite something, he said. Mc. Gown said he knows absolutely nothing about the claims of a ransom being paid for his release. Gift of the Givers director, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman also doubted the ransom claims. Stephen Mc. Gown, who was held captive for almost six years in Mali, with his wife Catherine at Gift of the Givers in Johannesburg. Photo Jonisayi Maromo ANAIn this business you build a relationship with one person. If you change that person, the negotiations are gone. They build trust and a relationship with one person. The only person that the captors had trust in, via their intermediaries because we dont meet the captors but the intermediaries, is Yehia. If the money had to go through us, he had to deliver it personally. Yehia has not left South Africa in the last four months, said Sooliman. Mohamed Yehia Dicko is a Malian based in South Africa who volunteered to assist in the search for Mc. Gown, after Gift of the Givers appealed for help in June 2. Without him, this would have been impossible. When Gift of the Givers agreed to take on the case, in 2. I made an announcement in the media to say I was looking for a person of Mali origin, who knows the tribes, who knows the regions, who is prepared to take high risk, who is prepared to go into the region and within two hourshe walked into my office. He has been to Mali nine times. At some point his wife and kids were ill, but he stayed there nevertheless, Sooliman spoke of Dicko, who was also present at the briefing. How Jerry OConnell Knew He Wasnt Going to Get the Job on Live With Kelly. Translate to English Translate to English Translate to English Translate to English This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to US edition This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to Canadian edition This content is available customized for our international audience. Switch to UK edition This content is available customized for our international audience. 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