NIAMEY/WASHINGTON: French journalist Olivier Dubois was hugged by emotional reporters at a briefing in Niger on Monday announcing the release of him and U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke who had been held hostage in West Africa for years by Islamist militants.
Dubois was kidnapped in Mali in 2021, while Woodke was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger in 2016.
Dubois had appeared in a video last August urging authorities to do everything they could to free him from his captors.
Some journalists embraced him upon arrival at the briefing at the airport in the capital Niamey, moved by the sight of their peer, who worked for Liberation and Le Point magazine.
"It's huge for me to be here today," said Dubois, smiling as he answered questions. "I wasn't expecting it at all. I feel tired but I'm well."
Woodke, a Christian humanitarian worker, thanked God as well as the Nigerien, U.S. and French authorities for helping with his rescue.
"Greetings to my family," he said at the briefing.
Flanked by the two men, Niger's interior minister Hamadou Adamou Souley told journalists: "After several months of efforts, Nigerien authorities obtained the liberation of the two hostages from the hands of (JNIM), an active terrorist group in West Africa and the Sahel."
JNIM is a West Africa-based affiliate of al Qaeda.
French President Emmanuel Macron thanked Niger for its help in securing Dubois' release.
"I have just spoken to Olivier Dubois: he is good health," Macron said on Twitter.
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
The circumstances of the two men's release were not immediately clear.
A senior U.S. official said there were no direct negotiations with the militant organisation that held Woodke, and no ransom or so-called quid pro quo was part of his release.
Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity, the official said it was not entirely clear where Woodke was held during his captivity but that he was known to have been in multiple locations and multiple countries.
Woodke was released outside of Niger, the senior administration official said, adding that Niger was part of efforts that helped free a second U.S. citizen held by the same network.
A U.S. State Department official identified that hostage as American Catholic nun Suellen Tennyson, kidnapped in northern Burkina Faso in April last year and freed in August.
"I'm gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity," White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Twitter. "The U.S. thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him."
Kidnappings are a relatively common tactic by Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, which have gained ground across the Sahel region over the past decade, killing thousands and uprooting over two million people in the process.
Those groups have repeatedly declared French citizens in West Africa to be targets since a 2013 military intervention by France drove them back a year earlier.
This is partly because of perceptions that the French government is prepared to pay ransoms to secure their release. France has repeatedly denied this.
Reuters
Tue Mar 21 2023
![French, US hostages released after years of captivity in West Africa French, US hostages released after years of captivity in West Africa](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-03/71679375272_NIGER.jpg)
French journalist Olivier Dubois, who has been held hostage in the West Africa Sahel for nearly two years, and U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke who was held hostage for over six years with Niger's Interior Minister Hamadou Adamou Souley. - REUTERS
Impact of cloud complexity on cybersecurity risk and AI's role in this mix
Organizations who are adopting multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments are having to navigate new complexities that emerge as they expand on cloud. As these cloud environments lead to the expansion of attack surfaces, a global survey conducted by Gigamon found that 93% of IT and security leaders predict cloud security attacks will increase this year.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 16 Julai 2024
Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 5.36 bilion unit bernilai RM3.95 bilion daripada 4.58 bilion unit bernilai RM3.72 bilion pada Jumaat.
[Data & Statistik] Kedudukan MYR berbanding SGD setakat 16 Julai 2024
Niaga AWANI bawakan prestasi terkini prestasi MYR berbanding SGD.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi ringgit setakat 16 Julai 2024
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata walaupun ringgit merosot, kontrak niaga hadapan Dana Fed menunjukkan bahawa penurunan kadar faedah mungkin akan berlaku pada September depan.
![Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721096727_RoyalOmanPolice.jpg)
Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman
Beberapa orang turut cedera akibat terkena tembakan di sekitar masjid di Wadi al-Kabir, Muscat.
![Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/61647267418_Reconstructionofth.jpg)
Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya
Menurut Digna van Boetzelaer, kerajaan Belanda tidak pernah meminta ekstradisi mereka kerana Rusia tidak mengekstradisi rakyatnya sendiri.
E-invois dibimbangi tekan pengusaha PKS
Isu yang timbul ialah pengetahuan dan kos tinggi yang diperlukan untuk melaksanakannya, termasuk kos latihan dan penambahbaikan sistem dan perisian.
Tawaran pengambilalihan MAHB dimuktamad suku ketiga 2024 - MOF
Tawaran pengambilalihan Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) dijangka akan dimuktamadkan pada suku ketiga tahun ini dan ia perlu dipersetujui oleh sekurang-kurangnya 90 peratus pemegang saham sedia ada MAHB.
Kementerian Kewangan berkata memandangkan tawaran itu merupakan satu urusan transaksi komersial, maka ia tidak mendatangkan sebarang implikasi kewangan kepada kerajaan.
Kementerian Kewangan berkata memandangkan tawaran itu merupakan satu urusan transaksi komersial, maka ia tidak mendatangkan sebarang implikasi kewangan kepada kerajaan.
![[KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi [KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721096314_MohdSaidBaniCM.jpg)
[KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi
Dengan sokongan tiga pertubuhan utama, ekosistem ini hadapi cabaran signifikan, namun berpotensi besar untuk berkembang dan berinovasi.
Jiwa SME: Kejayaan lebih 30 tahun dalam industri penternakan kambing
Osman Goat Farm, yang dimiliki oleh Osman Cheya Kutty dari Johor Bahru, telah bertahan lebih dari tiga dekad dalam industri penternakan. Dengan dedikasi dan inovasi, Osman Goat Farm telah membuktikan bahawa kesungguhan dan strategi yang tepat adalah kunci kejayaan dalam industri penternakan. Produk berkualiti tinggi dan teknologi terkini terus menjadi asas kepada kejayaan.