Jörg Lange, a 63-year-old German humanitarian, had been held hostage in the Sahel for more than four years. His release was made possible through Morocco, according to the German press.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Nathalie Versieux
Jörg Langer was repatriated on an army plane. According to the magazine Der Spiegelthe 63-year-old humanitarian is doing well, given the circumstances. » « We warmly thank all the people who contributed to this release or who supported it, in particular the crisis unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the criminal police and the authorities and friends in Mali, Niger and neighboring countries. “commented the humanitarian association Help for which he worked.
The German press assures that Morocco played a key role in the negotiations with the kidnappers.
Jörg Langer was kidnapped on April 11, 2018, in western Niger, on the border with Mali, by armed men riding a motorcycle. According to the German press, it was then sold to the Islamic State group in the Greater Sahara. Berlin would have considered a military intervention to free him, before giving up because of the danger of the operation.
At least four Western hostages are still being held in the Sahel, including Frenchman Olivier Dubois. And since the end of November, we have had no news of the German Catholic priest Hans Joachim Lohre, probably kidnapped in Bamako.
Read also: Twenty months of captivity in Mali for the French journalist Olivier Dubois