MOSCOW (Sputnik) — French forces have freed a Dutch national kidnapped by Islamists in Mali in 2011, the French Defense Ministry said Monday.
Dutch citizen Sjaak Rijke was kidnapped in November 2011 in the North of Mali by the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group.
Mali, a French colony until 1960, has been in turmoil since a 2012 military coup, which triggered an uprising of separatist tribes in the country's north. The revolt was quickly joined by Islamist groups with links to al-Qaeda, including AQIM.
In 2014, France launched operation Barkhane and sent 3,000 servicemen to Mali in an attempt to crack down on the Islamist insurgency in its former colony. Five other countries, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, participate in the anti-terrorist operation.