A French hostage held by Islamist
militants in northern Nigeria for nearly a year is free after reportedly
escaping during a shoot-out.
French President Francois Hollande thanked Nigeria's authorities
for helping secure the release of Francis Collomp, 63, in the city of Zaria.
Unofficial reports say he managed to escape from his cell during
an army operation against the militants.
The French foreign minister is being sent to Nigeria to meet
him.
The news comes after four other French hostages were released in
neighbouring Niger having been held for three years by gunmen with links to
al-Qaeda.
There were reports that at least 20m euros (£16.7m; $27m) were
paid in ransom for the four. The French government denied any public money was
used.
Since then a French Roman Catholic priest has been abducted in
Cameroon, another country in the region.
Mr Collomp was kidnapped on 19 December last year by armed men
who attacked the residence of his employer, the French wind turbine
manufacturer Vergnet, in the north Nigerian state of Katsina.
Fr Georges
Vandenbeusch was abducted by gunmen in northern Cameroon on Thursday.
Fr Vandenbeusch had
been working in Cameroon for two years and ignored warnings about his personal
safety.
A prayer vigil was
held for the priest in the St Jean Baptiste de Sceaux parish church, south of
Paris, on Thursday evening.
Ansaru, a militant group linked to the Islamist Boko Haram
movement, said it had carried out the abduction.
Mr Hollande said in a statement on Sunday: "The president
greets with joy the release of our compatriot Francis Collomp.
"France had never ceased to make every effort to achieve
this happy outcome. The president expresses all of his gratitude to Nigerian
authorities, with whom France worked in close cooperation, for their decisive
action."
He said he was sending Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius to
Nigeria to greet the former captive.
A source "close to the case" told AFP news agency that
Mr Collomp had fled during an exchange of fire between the army and militants
after his cell door was left open.
Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed French government source
who also said the captive had escaped. However, it added that a source in the
French foreign ministry had denied the report.
A diplomatic source told Reuters that Mr Collomp was weak and
had lost a lot of weight but was uninjured.
Seven French citizens, Mr Hollande said, remained in captivity
in Syria, Mali and Nigeria.
It is believed that Fr Georges Vandenbeusch, who was abducted in
northern Cameroon on Thursday, has been taken into Nigeria.
According to AFP, the priest was abducted by Boko Haram, with
the help of Ansaru.
Tags
Politics