A French aid worker was released in Mali who was kidnapped by jihadists almost four years ago. She works for an aid organization in the city of Gao.
Sophie Pétronin (75) landed today with three other hostages in a military plane in Bamako. She was met there by her son who picked her up during the emotional reunion.
The other hostages include a prominent member of the Malian opposition, Soumaïla Cissé who was kidnapped in March, Italian priest Pierluigi Maccali and Italian Nicola Chiacchio who were both kidnapped in 2018.
‘No violence used’
Their liberation came a few days after the release of nearly 200 jihadists by the Malian transitional government and therefore appears to be the result of prisoner swaps. The Malian transitional government does not want to say anything about the circumstances of the liberation.
“I have spent six months in very difficult circumstances and have been in isolation almost the entire time, but no violence has been used against me,” 70-year-old politician Cissé told Malian state broadcaster. He also said he had been held captive in the Sahara.
Terrorist attacks in Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali: we hear about them more and more. This is no coincidence: jihadists want to establish a new caliphate in this region. With disastrous consequences for the population:
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