Al Qaeda releases French correspondent Dubois in Mali
Dhe French Mali correspondent Olivier Dubois is in the violence of the Islamist terrorist organization after 711 days Al Qaeda been released. The 49-year-old journalist, who works for Le Point, Liberation and Jeune Afrique, was kidnapped in Gao on April 8, 2021.
He had offered the newspaper “Libération” an interview with the leading terrorist Abdallah Ag Albakaye, which the editors classified as too dangerous. On the way to the interview, he was kidnapped as a hostage.
Dubois, who hails from the French Caribbean island of Martinique, arrived at Niamey (Niger) airport on Monday. The organization Reporters Without Borders spoke of an “immense relief” at the release.
French civilians have long been a popular target for kidnappings by criminal and Islamist groups in West Africa’s arid Sahel region. France has repeatedly denied paying ransoms for hostages.
