American Hostage Jeffrey Woodke Released After 6 Years in West Africa Captivity

 Jeffery Woodke, a US hostage who had been held captive for over six years, has been released outside of Niger in the Mali-Burkina Faso area. The US government had been working for years to secure his release, and the government of Niger was central to the effort. The US did not pay any ransom to terrorists to secure Woodke's release, and the government is now offering him support and transport.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised Woodke's release and confirmed that the US had no higher priority than bringing home any unjustly detained Americans. Blinken also thanked Niger's government, Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, and those at the State Department who worked on Woodke's case. The official said that Blinken had spoken to Woodke's family and that they would soon be reunited.

In addition to Woodke's release, French journalist Olivier Dubois, who had been abducted in 2021 in Mali, was also freed on Monday. Dubois was moved to Niger after his release, and his captivity had been the longest for a French journalist held hostage since the Lebanon war. French President Emmanuel Macron announced Dubois' release, and Reporters Without Borders expressed relief and thanked the French authorities for their efforts.