French, US hostages released after years of captivity in West Africa

French journalist Olivier Dubois, who has been held hostage in the West Africa Sahel for nearly two years, and U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke who was held hostage for over six years listen to Niger's Interior Minister Hamadou Adamou Souley after they were released in Niamey, Niger March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

NIAMEY/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -French journalist Olivier Dubois was hugged by emotional reporters at a briefing in Niger on Monday announcing the release of him and U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke who had been held hostage in West Africa for years by Islamist militants.

Dubois was kidnapped in Mali in 2021, while Woodke was kidnapped in neighbouring Niger in 2016.