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Last French hostage Lazarevic freed in Mali | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The last French hostage to be held by Islamist militants has been freed after three years, French President Francois Hollande has announced. | |
Serge Lazarevic was snatched in Mali in November 2011 along with fellow Frenchman Philippe Verdon. | |
Militants from the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group killed Mr Verdon last year in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali. | Militants from the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group killed Mr Verdon last year in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali. |
Mr Hollande said there were no more French hostages waiting to be freed. | Mr Hollande said there were no more French hostages waiting to be freed. |
Mr Lazarevic, he said, was in "relatively good health" despite the conditions of his captivity and was on his way to the neighbouring country of Niger from where he would return to France. | |
AQIM kidnapped a number of Western hostages before the French military deployed its forces against the group in January 2013. | AQIM kidnapped a number of Western hostages before the French military deployed its forces against the group in January 2013. |
There were at one point at least 14 French nationals being held by Islamists in West Africa. | There were at one point at least 14 French nationals being held by Islamists in West Africa. |
"There are no more French hostages in any country in the world," Mr Hollande said. | "There are no more French hostages in any country in the world," Mr Hollande said. |
He thanked the authorities in Niger and Mali, who had "worked towards this happy outcome". | |
There have been no details about how the release of Mr Lazarevic was secured. | |
The French government has repeatedly denied paying ransoms for hostages. | |
During his captivity, Mr Lazarevic appeared in several AQIM videos. | |
There was concern for the 50-year-old father's health in November after he was filmed pleading for his release. | |
He looked frail in the video and was filmed alongside a second hostage, Dutchman Sjaak Rijke. | |
It is not clear where the two men were held or whether they were held together. | |
Mr Rijke was kidnapped in November 2011, while visiting the city of Timbuktu as a tourist. There has been no news from him since the video. |