French journalist Olivier Dubois has been welcomed house by President Emmanuel Macron, at some point after he was launched in Mali
PARIS — A French journalist who was held hostage by Islamic extremists for practically two years in Mali was welcomed house by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, at some point after his launch.
Olivier Dubois was kidnapped in April 2021 in northern Mali, a area wracked by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Leaving the aircraft on the Villacoublay army airport, southwest of Paris, with a giant smile on his face, Dubois was applauded by the group of individuals ready for his arrival. He was greeted with nice pleasure by his sister and father, after which he hugged Macron.
Talking to French media, Dubois mentioned he listened to French radio to maintain himself sane in captivity and skim the Quran “to know” his captors. Dubois advised RFI radio Tuesday that though he was not “hit or humiliated,” it was a grueling expertise.
“You’re chained, you’re a prisoner, you might be thought-about a disbeliever, an infidel,” he mentioned. “It was residing exterior on a regular basis — whether or not there’s a sandstorm, the solar, the chilly or the rain … It’s washing and defecating exterior. It’s residing exterior on a regular basis.”
The situations of Dubois’ launch, together with whether or not it concerned a ransom, haven’t been disclosed.
Reporters With out Borders, additionally recognized by its French acronym RSF, thanked French authorities on Monday for “having carried out the required means to acquire his launch,” with out elaborating.
Dubois’ launch occurred on the identical day that an American help employee was freed in Mali.
Jihadi teams have been abducting hostages for ransom as a approach to fund their operations and broaden their presence. A minimum of 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped within the Sahel — the huge, semi-arid expanse under the Sahara Desert — since 2015, in keeping with the Armed Battle Location & Occasion Knowledge Mission.