French President Francois Hollande (C), French Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (R) and Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius (2ndR) walk with former French hostages Marc Feret (L), Thierry Dol (2ndL), Pierre Legrand (3rdL) and Daniel Larribe (3rdR) on the tarmac upon their arrival at Villacoublay military airport, near Paris, October 30, 2013. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
NIAMEY/PARIS (Reuters) - Four Frenchmen held hostage in the Sahara desert by al Qaeda-linked gunmen for three years were reunited with their families on Wednesday, and Paris dismissed media reports it had paid a ransom for their release.
The men, kidnapped in 2010 while working for French nuclear group Areva and a subsidiary of construction group Vinci in northern Niger, were freed on Tuesday after secret negotiations conducted by the government of Niger.
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