The last French hostage in the world has just been released. After 711 days in captivity, French journalist Olivier Dubois arrived at the airport in Niamey, Niger’s capital, around 3 p.m. (local and Paris time) on Monday, March 20. “I feel tired but I’m fine,” he said as he stepped off the plane, smiling and visibly moved, wearing an open white shirt over a black T-shirt and beige pants.
“It’s huge for me to be here, to be free, I didn’t expect it. I wanted to pay tribute to Niger for its know-how in this delicate mission and to pay tribute to France and to all those who allowed me to be here today,” added the 48-year-old Frenchman, in front of several journalists. .
For the time being, the conditions for the release of Olivier Dubois remain unclear. But according to several security and diplomatic sources, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum – who is currently visiting Togo – was “personally involved in his release”. Since his abduction, other channels of negotiation had also been opened, in particular through the High Islamic Council (HCI) of Mali, an association bringing together Muslim associations and leaders.
American humanitarian Jeffery Woodke, kidnapped in October 2016, was also released with Olivier Dubois on Monday March 20. “The hostages were recovered safe and sound by the Nigerien authorities before being handed over to the French and American authorities,” said Hamadou Adamou Souley, the Minister of the Interior of Niger, at the airport on Monday. Sylvain Itté, the French ambassador to Niger, was also present, and thanked the Nigerien authorities for having “actively contributed to this happy ending”. Emmanuel Macron also praised Niamey in a tweet, stressing his “great gratitude to Niger for this release”.
A regular contributor to Liberation, Le Point Afrique and Jeune Afrique since moving to Mali in 2015, Olivier Dubois was kidnapped on April 8, 2021 in Gao, in the north-east of the country, when he planned to interview Abdallah ag. Albakaye, a local leader of the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM, affiliated with Al-Qaida).
proof of life
The journalist had gone to the fixed meeting point, in a street in Gao, in the company of his fixer, a Malian with whom he had been working on security issues for several years. He then got into a vehicle in which there were several men, before disappearing and no longer giving any sign of life to his relatives.
Almost a month later, on May 5, 2021, Olivier Dubois announced that he was captive of the GSIM in a video posted on social networks. In the process, the national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office had opened an investigation for kidnapping in an organized gang and in connection with a terrorist enterprise.
In March 2022, proof of life of the journalist had reached his relatives. Olivier Dubois, visibly in good health, thanked them for their support and then asked the French government to “continue to do everything possible to work for [his] release”.
For those close to the Frenchman, this March 20, 2023 comes to put an end to almost two years of ordeal. “It’s upsetting. I have no words,” says Marc de Boni, a close friend of Olivier Dubois and spokesman for the support committee set up after his abduction. “We were preparing communications actions for April 8, which would have marked two years of his captivity. We are so happy to have to cancel everything,” he adds.
On its website, the newspaper Liberation, for which Olivier Dubois provided correspondence in Mali, for its part said that it was waiting “impatiently to be able to celebrate his return with him”, before addressing its “strongest thanks to all those and all those who have worked tirelessly by [his] side during this long period”.