Woodke had been held captive for five and a half years, while Dubois was close to serving three years in captivity.
MADRID, 20 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The French journalist Olivier Dubois, kidnapped in Mali in April 2021, and the American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who disappeared in Niger in October 2016, were released simultaneously this Monday and both are now in the Nigerien capital, Niamey.
Dubois was kidnapped by the Al Qaeda affiliate in Mali when he was about to interview one of its leaders. A spokesman for the Nigerien Ministry quoted by the radio station RFI has confirmed that he has landed in Niamey this Monday, something that the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has already celebrated on its social networks.
“Finally free,” the organization has proclaimed, which has acknowledged that in recent months it had already received “reassuring news” about the situation of Dubois, who “seemed to be in good condition.” RSF has thanked all the parties involved in the campaign for him to be released, bearing in mind that he is the French journalist who has been held hostage the longest since the Lebanon war.
In parallel, a second release has been made known, that of Jeffery Woodke, kidnapped in western Niger in October 2016 and who was also located in neighboring Mali, like Dubois. US military sources have confirmed to ‘The New York Times’ that he is back in Niger and free, although the circumstances of this case are not clear either.
His wife, Els Woodke, has assured that her husband “is safe” in Niamey, although the family is waiting for more details. “We still don’t know if he is healthy,” he told the American newspaper.