The Russian Protection Ministry has stated its Africa Corps freed one Russian citizen and one Ukrainian who had been kidnapped by an al-Qaida affiliate in Niger in July 2024.
The ministry recognized the freed captives as Russian citizen Oleg Gret and Ukrainian citizen Yuri Yurov. They each appeared in a video posted on a media platform affiliated with Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, an armed group which controls giant swathes of territory within the Sahel area.
“On account of a particular operation carried out by the Africa Corps within the Republic of Mali, staff of a Russian geological exploration firm captured in July 2024 in Niger by the terrorist group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin have been freed,” the assertion stated.
The kidnapping was successful to Russia within the area, the place it has since displaced earlier Western companions. In recent times, Russia has capitalized on the rising dissatisfaction with France, the previous colonial energy within the area, and escalating assaults from armed {groups}.
The Russian state-controlled paramilitary proxy group, the Africa Corps, changed the mercenary Wagner Group for Moscow’s navy operations on the continent.
The ministry stated the hostages will probably be transported by Russian navy transport plane to Moscow for remedy and rehabilitation.
Esther Ndu
Times Nigeria