Jeffery Woodke and Olivier Dubois, who had been kidnapped by jihadists in the Sahel, were released in Niger
Staff and agencies in Niamey
Mon 20 Mar 2023 15.52 GMT
A US aid worker and a French journalist who had been kidnapped by jihadists in the Sahel and held for years have been released.
American aid worker Jeffery Woodke and French freelancer Olivier Dubois emerged from a plane that landed on Monday at an airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
Woodke was abducted in Niger in 2016, while Dubois, 48, was kidnapped in Mali in 2021.
Woodke was seized at gunpoint in October 2016 from his home in Abalak in the Tahoua region of Niger, about 350km (220 miles) from Niamey.
The 61-year-old, who was leaning on a stick after his release, had served as a missionary and humanitarian aid worker in Niger for 32 years, according to a supporter’s website.
Before his abduction, Woodke had run an aid group in Abalak called Jemet since 1992, helping the local Tuareg community.
Local residents said he spoke the local language Tamasheq fluently as well as Fula and Arabic.
Dubois is a freelance journalist who has contributed to Libération and the news weekly Le Point.
He himself announced his abduction in a video posted on social networks on 5 May 2021. In it, he said he had been kidnapped in the northern city of Gao by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel which is linked to Al-Qaida.
“I feel tired, but I’m fine,” said Dubois, smiling but visibly overwhelmed, dressed in a white shirt, T-shirt and beige trousers.
“It’s amazing for me to be here, to be free,” he said, speaking to a small group of journalists.
“I want to pay tribute to Niger for its skills in this delicate mission and pay tribute to France, to all those who have helped me to be here today.”
Hamadou Souley, Niger’s interior minister who was at the airport, said “the hostages were picked up safe and sound by the Nigerien authorities before being handed over to the French and American authorities”.
Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, tweeted he was “gratified & relieved” at Woodke’s release.
“The US thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him.”
France’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the release. The conditions of Dubois’s release, including whether it involved a ransom, were not disclosed.
“We feel joy and immense relief,” Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, said in a statement.
It thanked French authorities for “having implemented the necessary means to obtain his release”, without elaborating.
The Sahel has been ravaged by a jihadist campaign that began in northern Mali in 2012.
In 2015, the insurgency swept into neighbouring Burkina Faso and south-western Niger, a deeply poor nation that was already battling jihadist violence spilling into its south-east from Nigeria.
Across the region, thousands of civilians, police and soldiers have been killed and millions have fled their homes.
A US aid worker and a French journalist who had been kidnapped by jihadists in the Sahel and held for years have been released.
American aid worker Jeffery Woodke and French freelancer Olivier Dubois emerged from a plane that landed on Monday at an airport in Niamey, the capital of Niger.
Woodke was abducted in Niger in 2016, while Dubois, 48, was kidnapped in Mali in 2021.
Woodke was seized at gunpoint in October 2016 from his home in Abalak in the Tahoua region of Niger, about 350km (220 miles) from Niamey.
The 61-year-old, who was leaning on a stick after his release, had served as a missionary and humanitarian aid worker in Niger for 32 years, according to a supporter’s website.
Before his abduction, Woodke had run an aid group in Abalak called Jemet since 1992, helping the local Tuareg community.
Local residents said he spoke the local language Tamasheq fluently as well as Fula and Arabic.
Dubois is a freelance journalist who has contributed to Libération and the news weekly Le Point.
He himself announced his abduction in a video posted on social networks on 5 May 2021. In it, he said he had been kidnapped in the northern city of Gao by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel which is linked to Al-Qaida.
“I feel tired, but I’m fine,” said Dubois, smiling but visibly overwhelmed, dressed in a white shirt, T-shirt and beige trousers.
“It’s amazing for me to be here, to be free,” he said, speaking to a small group of journalists.
“I want to pay tribute to Niger for its skills in this delicate mission and pay tribute to France, to all those who have helped me to be here today.”
Hamadou Souley, Niger’s interior minister who was at the airport, said “the hostages were picked up safe and sound by the Nigerien authorities before being handed over to the French and American authorities”.
Jake Sullivan, US national security adviser, tweeted he was “gratified & relieved” at Woodke’s release.
“The US thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him.”
France’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the release. The conditions of Dubois’s release, including whether it involved a ransom, were not disclosed.
“We feel joy and immense relief,” Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, said in a statement.
It thanked French authorities for “having implemented the necessary means to obtain his release”, without elaborating.
The Sahel has been ravaged by a jihadist campaign that began in northern Mali in 2012.
In 2015, the insurgency swept into neighbouring Burkina Faso and south-western Niger, a deeply poor nation that was already battling jihadist violence spilling into its south-east from Nigeria.
Across the region, thousands of civilians, police and soldiers have been killed and millions have fled their homes.
US aid worker and French journalist freed in West Africa
By DALATOU MAMANE, ERIC TUCKER and KRISTA LARSON
1 of 11
French journalist Olivier Dubois, left, and American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, center, arrive at the VIP lounge at the airport in Niamey, Niger, Monday March 20, 2023. Woodke was held by Islamic extremists in West Africa for more than six years and Dubois was abducted almost two years ago. The two men were the highest-profile foreigners known to be held in the region, and their release was the largest since a French woman and two Italian men were freed together in Mali back in Oct. 2020.
Also on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that two of its employees were freed in Mali. The organization would not disclose the employees’ identities or the circumstances of their abductions, and it could not be confirmed if there was any connection to the other hostages who were released.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said efforts to free Woodke were headed by U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies , working closely with the French.
“It was a team effort to get him out, and there were no concessions made,” Kirby said. “There were no swaps here. This was just hard, grueling, deliberate work by diplomats and other experts directly with the government of Niger to get him home.”
Woodke and Debois were the highest-profile foreigners known to be held in the region, and their release was the largest since a French woman and two Italian men were freed together in Mali in October 2020.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that he had spoken with Dubois on Monday.
“Immense relief for the nation, for his relatives and fellow journalists,” Macron tweeted. “Deep gratitude to Niger for this release.”
Although it remained unclear what led to the releases, “it might not be a coincidence” that the hostages’ freedom came after Blinken visited Niger and offered millions of dollars in aid, Alkhouri said.
The aid “could have oiled the Niger government to use its intelligence apparatus in negotiating their release,” Alkhouri said.
A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on background, said Woodke was the second American to be freed in the last six months and that the topic had come up last week during Blinken’s visit to Niamey. The identity of the other hostage freed in Niger was not made public.
Groups have long abducted hostages for ransom in the Sahel, the vast, semi-arid expanse below the Sahara Desert. Previously released captives have described being moved frequently from site to site in harrowing conditions and sweltering temperatures. The extremists aim to use ransom money to fund their jihadi operations, though not all countries engage in payment negotiations.
The Biden administration official did not identify the specific group believed responsible for holding Woodke, saying overlapping networks operated in that part of West Africa.
At least 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped in the Sahel since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. In 2020, Swiss authorities said Christian missionary Beatrice Stoeckli was killed by her militant captors.
Militants with links to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are still believed to be holding captives, including a German priest. The Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre was preparing to celebrate Mass in Mali’s capital when he was abducted in November.
Last year an Italian couple and their child were abducted with a household employee in southern Mali. Other hostages taken in West Africa include Ken Elliott, an Australian doctor abducted in 2016, and Romanian citizen Julian Ghergut, who was seized near a mining site in 2015.
___
Tucker reported from Washington, and Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Ellen Knickmeyer and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Angela Charlton in Paris; and Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali contributed to this report.
By DALATOU MAMANE, ERIC TUCKER and KRISTA LARSON
1 of 11
French journalist Olivier Dubois, left, and American aid worker Jeffery Woodke, center, arrive at the VIP lounge at the airport in Niamey, Niger, Monday March 20, 2023. Woodke was held by Islamic extremists in West Africa for more than six years and Dubois was abducted almost two years ago. The two men were the highest-profile foreigners known to be held in the region, and their release was the largest since a French woman and two Italian men were freed together in Mali back in Oct. 2020.
(AP Photo/Judith Besnard)
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — An American aid worker and a French journalist kidnapped and held by Islamist extremists were freed and flown to Niger’s capital Monday, four days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country.
U.S. officials said no ransom was paid for aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was held for more than six years, and praised Niger’s government for helping secure his release. The French government did not comment on how freedom was won for journalist Olivier Dubois, who was abducted almost two years ago in neighboring Mali.
“I thank God first of all. And after God, I thank the government of Niger, the U.S. government and France. Long live France!” said Woodke, his long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail as he used a walking stick.
“I’m very happy to be back in Niamey again, in Niger, my second country, and I’ve nothing more to say apart from, ‘Hello to my family.’ That’s all,” he said.
Dubois beamed as he greeted well-wishers, telling journalists that he was tired but otherwise fine.
“It’s amazing for me to be here, to be free,” the 48-year-old journalist said. “I didn’t expect it at all. I would like to pay tribute to Niger, and to its knowledge of these types of delicate missions. And to pay tribute to France and to all those who made it possible to be here today.”
Blinken visited the region last week and on Thursday spoke to the press in Niger, where he announced $150 million in direct assistance to the Sahel region.
“I’m very pleased we are now seeing that come to fruition today,” Blinken said, thanking his team, and Niger, for their efforts.
Woodke lived in Niger for three decades and had been kidnapped from his home in the town of Abalak in October 2016. Gunmen ambushed and killed his guards, then forced him at gunpoint into their truck, where he was driven north toward Mali’s border.
At a 2021 news conference in Washington, Els Woodke said she believed her husband was being held by an al-Qaida-linked militant group known as JNIM and that his captors had sought a multimillion-dollar ransom.
Dubois also was being held by JNIM militants, though it was unclear how much time the two foreign hostages had spent in captivity together, said Laith Alkhouri, CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory.
Officials in Niger unexpectedly announced Monday morning that the two men had taken a special flight to the country’s capital but provided no details. U.S. officials said the American hostage was not freed in Niger but in the surrounding region that includes Mali, where Dubois was abducted in 2021.
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — An American aid worker and a French journalist kidnapped and held by Islamist extremists were freed and flown to Niger’s capital Monday, four days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the country.
U.S. officials said no ransom was paid for aid worker Jeffery Woodke, who was held for more than six years, and praised Niger’s government for helping secure his release. The French government did not comment on how freedom was won for journalist Olivier Dubois, who was abducted almost two years ago in neighboring Mali.
“I thank God first of all. And after God, I thank the government of Niger, the U.S. government and France. Long live France!” said Woodke, his long gray hair pulled back in a ponytail as he used a walking stick.
“I’m very happy to be back in Niamey again, in Niger, my second country, and I’ve nothing more to say apart from, ‘Hello to my family.’ That’s all,” he said.
Dubois beamed as he greeted well-wishers, telling journalists that he was tired but otherwise fine.
“It’s amazing for me to be here, to be free,” the 48-year-old journalist said. “I didn’t expect it at all. I would like to pay tribute to Niger, and to its knowledge of these types of delicate missions. And to pay tribute to France and to all those who made it possible to be here today.”
Blinken visited the region last week and on Thursday spoke to the press in Niger, where he announced $150 million in direct assistance to the Sahel region.
“I’m very pleased we are now seeing that come to fruition today,” Blinken said, thanking his team, and Niger, for their efforts.
Woodke lived in Niger for three decades and had been kidnapped from his home in the town of Abalak in October 2016. Gunmen ambushed and killed his guards, then forced him at gunpoint into their truck, where he was driven north toward Mali’s border.
At a 2021 news conference in Washington, Els Woodke said she believed her husband was being held by an al-Qaida-linked militant group known as JNIM and that his captors had sought a multimillion-dollar ransom.
Dubois also was being held by JNIM militants, though it was unclear how much time the two foreign hostages had spent in captivity together, said Laith Alkhouri, CEO of Intelonyx Intelligence Advisory.
Officials in Niger unexpectedly announced Monday morning that the two men had taken a special flight to the country’s capital but provided no details. U.S. officials said the American hostage was not freed in Niger but in the surrounding region that includes Mali, where Dubois was abducted in 2021.
MORE ON WOODKE'S CAPTIVITY– Wife of US hostage in Africa reveals captors' ransom demand
Also on Monday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that two of its employees were freed in Mali. The organization would not disclose the employees’ identities or the circumstances of their abductions, and it could not be confirmed if there was any connection to the other hostages who were released.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said efforts to free Woodke were headed by U.S. military, law enforcement and intelligence agencies , working closely with the French.
“It was a team effort to get him out, and there were no concessions made,” Kirby said. “There were no swaps here. This was just hard, grueling, deliberate work by diplomats and other experts directly with the government of Niger to get him home.”
Woodke and Debois were the highest-profile foreigners known to be held in the region, and their release was the largest since a French woman and two Italian men were freed together in Mali in October 2020.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that he had spoken with Dubois on Monday.
“Immense relief for the nation, for his relatives and fellow journalists,” Macron tweeted. “Deep gratitude to Niger for this release.”
Although it remained unclear what led to the releases, “it might not be a coincidence” that the hostages’ freedom came after Blinken visited Niger and offered millions of dollars in aid, Alkhouri said.
The aid “could have oiled the Niger government to use its intelligence apparatus in negotiating their release,” Alkhouri said.
A senior U.S. administration official, speaking on background, said Woodke was the second American to be freed in the last six months and that the topic had come up last week during Blinken’s visit to Niamey. The identity of the other hostage freed in Niger was not made public.
Groups have long abducted hostages for ransom in the Sahel, the vast, semi-arid expanse below the Sahara Desert. Previously released captives have described being moved frequently from site to site in harrowing conditions and sweltering temperatures. The extremists aim to use ransom money to fund their jihadi operations, though not all countries engage in payment negotiations.
The Biden administration official did not identify the specific group believed responsible for holding Woodke, saying overlapping networks operated in that part of West Africa.
At least 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped in the Sahel since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. In 2020, Swiss authorities said Christian missionary Beatrice Stoeckli was killed by her militant captors.
Militants with links to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are still believed to be holding captives, including a German priest. The Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre was preparing to celebrate Mass in Mali’s capital when he was abducted in November.
Last year an Italian couple and their child were abducted with a household employee in southern Mali. Other hostages taken in West Africa include Ken Elliott, an Australian doctor abducted in 2016, and Romanian citizen Julian Ghergut, who was seized near a mining site in 2015.
___
Tucker reported from Washington, and Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Sam Mednick in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Ellen Knickmeyer and Aamer Madhani in Washington; Angela Charlton in Paris; and Baba Ahmed in Bamako, Mali contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment