France
Journalist and former hostage Olivier Dubois received by Macron
The 48-year-old French journalist released on Monday is the latest Frenchman to be held hostage by the non-governmental organization.
Updated
Olivier Dubois was a hostage for two years. He was received by the French President on Tuesday.
AFP
French journalist Olivier Dubois, Hostages for almost two years The jihadists in Mali landed in France on Tuesday, after he was released the day before while he was an American hostage for more than six years. Olivier Dubois was welcomed at Villacoublay air base, southwest of the capital, by his relatives and President Emmanuel Macron just after noon.
In a long-sleeved shirt and black pants, carrying a shoulder bag, he appeared very smiley and in good shape after the five-hour drive from Niamey. He finds his wife and children in the process, and then has a few minutes to speak with the head of state.
On Monday, he met with journalists shortly after his release with US humanitarian Jeffrey Woodke, who was kidnapped in Niger on October 14, 2016. Olivier Dubois was abducted on April 8, 2021, in Gao, northern Mali, by GSIM, the Sahel’s main jihadist alliance linked to al-Qaeda. He especially collaborated with the daily “Liberation” and the magazine “Le Point” and lived in Mali since 2015.
Olivier Dubois finds his wife and children.
AFP
‘Great Relief’
The 48-year-old reporter, who is not known to have been in Mali for the duration of his detention, is the last Frenchman to be held hostage by an organization other than a state since the release of kidnapped Sophie Petron in October 2020. Mali
“It is a great thing for me to be here, to be free, to know Niger in this delicate task, to pay tribute to France and to pay tribute to everyone who allowed me to be here today,” he said. said on Monday.
President Macron expressed his “great relief” for his role and expressed “great gratitude to Niger for this liberation”.
“Long Live France”
Along with Olivier Dubois, 61-year-old Jeffery Woodke, with white hair and the support of a cane, wanted to “thank the Nigerian, American and French governments” for his release. “Vive la France,” the abducted man shouted as he helped nomads with an NGO in Abalak, central Niger, for three decades.
The circumstances of the two men’s release are currently unknown, while relations between France and the ruling military junta in Mali have strained considerably. Notably, Paris withdrew all troops stationed there as part of the anti-jihadi operation Barkhane.
“The hostages were safely rescued by Nigerian authorities before being handed over to French and US authorities,” Nigerian Interior Minister Hamadou Choli said at the airport on Monday.
“Dream Over”
During his 711 days in custody, only two videos of Oliver Dubois were published on social networks. The first was on May 5, 2021, when he announced the abduction himself, and the other, after almost a year of silence, aired on March 13, 2022, without any mention of the date the pictures were shot.
“It’s unbelievable, we’ve been waiting for two years. The dream is over for him, and for his family. Although it’s hard for him to forget, he can start his life again,” Oliver Dubois’ sister Canelle Bernard told AFP on Monday. They expressed happiness.
Mali, like its neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso, faces a serious security crisis due to frequent jihadist attacks. Abductions are one of the gravest dangers facing local and foreign journalists and humanitarian workers in the Sahel.
Olivier Dubois, held hostage by jihadists in Mali for nearly two years, told AFP on Tuesday that he was “not mistreated, humiliated or assaulted” during his 711 days in custody. “I want to say that I was not mistreated, humiliated or assaulted or anything,” the journalist said, shortly after landing at Villacouple air base, southwest of Paris. “There were tough moments, but not as physical as some have experienced.”
(AFP)
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