The brother of one of six French hostages being held by al Qaeda in North Africa’s Sahel region has released a video appealing to the kidnappers for information, and for a return to the negotiating table with the French government.

The move has angered some of the hostages’ families, who say they were not consulted about the appeal and insist that it is the French government – and not the hostage-takers – that hold the key to getting the six released.

The hostages are being held by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Four of them, employees of French nuclear energy giant Areva, were taken hostage in September 2010 in Niger. The other two were kidnapped in November 2011 in north-eastern Mali.

The appeal has the support of the families of three of the hostages, who say they are “exasperated” at the lack of information.

Frédéric Cauhapé, the brother-in-law of hostage Marc Féret, told AFP: “After 27 months, we still don’t have any news.”

In the video, Clément Legrand, brother of hostage Pierre Legrand, tells the kidnappers: “We don’t understand why everything is blocked.”