Sunday, February 27, 2011

Sahel: The released hostages were received at the Elysee

The three former hostages released in the Sahel during the night from Thursday to Friday, 25 February were received about forty minutes on Saturday with President Nicolas Sarkozy. The French Françoise Larribe, the Madagascan Jean-Claude Rakotorilalao and Togolese Alex Ahonado Kodjo, accompanied by their families, arrived shortly after 14 pm 30 at the Elysee.

They all emerged from their meeting with the head of state to 15 h 15. Anne Lauvergeon, CEO of Areva, was also present. Before leaving the Elysee, Ms. Larribe and family stayed briefly in the courtyard of the Elysee to discuss with Ms. Lauvergeon. There was no statement. The three former hostages were among a group of seven people kidnapped September 16 by Al-Qaeda in northern Niger on uranium mining site Arlit, operated by Areva in northern Niger.

The Elysee Palace said Friday in a statement they were released "on February 24 at the end of the day" and were "healthy". The other four hostages, including the husband of Ms. Larribe are all French. Françoise Larribe, suffers from cancer. Shortly before his abduction, she had undergone chemotherapy, according to a close.

According to sources Malian and French hostages have been held in the desert hills Timetrine in north-eastern Mali, a hundred miles of Algeria. But a source close to the Malian case had said Jan. 23 that the seven hostages had been dispersed and transferred out of Mali. After a message asking AQIM November 19 in Paris to negotiate the release of hostages in Mali directly with Osama bin Laden and demanding of France to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, President Nicolas Sarkozy that France had not responded let itself "dictate policy person." Two young French, Antoine de Léocour Delory and Vincent, were kidnapped Jan.

7 in Niamey by kidnappers working for AQIM. They were killed the next day in Mali for a Franco-Nigerian military operation intended to free them. AQIM, which operates in the Sahel-Sahara band on the borders of Mauritania, Algeria, Mali and Niger, had already announced in July 2010 the implementation of a French hostage, Michel Germaneau humanitarian, whose body was never found.

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