Claustre was taken hostage[1] by a group of Chadian rebels, led by Hissène Habré, on 20 April 1974, at Bardaï, in the Tibesti Mountains of northern Chad.
At the same time, the rebels also seized a German doctor, Christophe Staewen, and Marc Combe, who was an assistant of Claustre's husband, Pierre.
Marc Combe managed to escape and Staewan was released on 11 June 1974, after a ransom had been paid by the West German government.
In 1990, her story was made into a film by Raymond Depardon, La Captive du désert, starring Sandrine Bonnaire.
The resulting broadcast had generated considerable public interest, encouraging the subsequent action by the French government.