A French journalist and an American aid worker have been released after years of being held hostage in West Africa. Journalist Olivier Dubois, kidnapped by Islamist terrorists in Mali in 2021, arrived in Niamey, the capital of neighboring Niger, on Monday after his release, Niger’s interior ministry said. “Olivier Dubois is free,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on Twitter on Monday.
This is a huge relief for France, journalists and Dubois’ family. Macron expressed his gratitude to Niger for the liberation.
American was held hostage for more than six years
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Twitter that American Jeff Woodke, who was kidnapped in Niger in 2016, has been released after more than six years as a hostage. “The US thanks Niger for helping to bring him home to all who miss and love him.”
Two Red Cross employees have also been released, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on Monday. The employees were kidnapped in northern Mali on March 4 and released on Sunday. The ICRC gave no details.
Background release unknown
Niger’s interior ministry said “efforts” by state authorities had led to the release of the hostages held by the Islamist terrorist organization JNIM. Further backgrounds are not yet known. Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was the first sitting Secretary of State to visit Niger.
The West African Sahelian states of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have been tyrannized by armed militias for years. Some of these groups have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terror militia and al-Qaeda. In addition to bloody attacks, kidnappings take place time and time again. Dubois disappeared in April 2021 in the town of Gao, in northwestern Mali.
Source: Krone
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