 |
| Jocelyn Elliott has been freed but husband Ken is still in the hands of kidnappers. |
An elderly Australian
woman kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Burkina Faso has been released
and efforts are underway to secure the release of her husband, officials said.
AFP
report continues:
Jocelyn
Elliott, 84, and her husband, doctor Ken Elliott, 82, from Perth in Western
Australia, were abducted on the night of January 15-16.
Burkinabe
Foreign Minister Alpha Barry said Jocelyn Elliott was released Saturday in
neighbouring Niger.
"She
arrived without problems in Niger. She was received by Niger's President
Issoufou Mahamadou," Barry told AFP.
"She
was released thanks to the action of President Issoufou," he said, adding
that discussions were ongoing with the Niger authorities on her return to
Burkina Faso.
Barry
said efforts were underway to secure the release of Ken Elliott.
"For
now we know that her husband is alive and well. Now further negotiations will
begin for his release and we will do everything to secure it," said Barry.
The
diplomat said "no ransom was paid or conditions imposed" by the
kidnappers for the release of the hostage.
Australian
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull Sunday thanked Niger and Burkina Faso for their
efforts.
"I
can confirm that our Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who's been closely on top
of this situation, has been speaking with the Elliott family in Australia,
spoke to Mrs Elliott just a little while ago," he told the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation Sunday morning.
Turnbull
would not comment on the doctor's situation, saying "we're dealing with a
difficult diplomatic situation and the Burkina Faso government is working very
well on it and we'll continue to stay in touch with them".
 |
|
Australian
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says the wife of an elderly Australian doctor
kidnapped by Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in Burkina Faso has been released
©Atushi Tomura (Pool/AFP)
|
The
Elliotts had moved to the impoverished west African nation in 1972 and ran a
clinic in the dusty town of Djibo, close to the border with Mali.
The
Burkina government had said the pair were kidnapped in Baraboule, near the
country's borders with Niger and Mali.
It
had coincided with a jihadist assault on an upmarket hotel in Burkina Faso's
capital Ouagadougou that left at least 30 people dead, including many
foreigners.
The abduction has caused an
outpouring of support, with the people of Djibo turning to Facebook to plead
for the couple's release.
No comments:
Post a Comment