French journalist kidnapped in Mali in 2021 is freed

PARIS (AP) — Media rights group Reporters Without Borders says a French journalist held hostage by Islamic extremists for nearly two years in Mali has been released. Olivier Dubois was kidnapped in April 2021 from northern Mali. The region is wracked by jihadi violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, had campaigned for his release. It thanked French authorities for “having implemented the necessary means to obtain his release,” without elaborating. France’s government did not immediately comment on the news. The conditions of his release were not disclosed. Two kidnapped aid workers were also freed in Mali on Monday.