Detained aid worker Joseph Figueira Martin freed in Central African Republic

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Detained aid worker Joseph Figueira Martin, who had been held in the Central African Republic for nearly two years, was freed Tuesday, his family told The Associated Press.

His brother said that "the rumor is real and he should land in Lisbon in a couple of hours."

Figueira Martin, a dual Belgian-Portuguese citizen and consultant for the American aid organization FHI 360, was arrested in May 2024, according to the Central African Republic prosecutor's office, over allegations of spying, being in communication with armed groups to plot a coup, and jeopardizing national security.

He was arrested in Zemio, a town in the country's southeast that has been plagued by fighting between ethnic militias and anti-government rebels for over a decade.

Figueiro Martin was held in a military prison and had previously started a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his detention.

The government Tuesday has not yet confirmed his release or commented on the status of his legal case.

While arrests of foreign aid workers in the Central African Republic are rare, the country is tightening its grip over aid organizations operating in areas where the military is fighting armed groups. Following Figueira Martin's arrest, authorities warned foreign NGO workers against participating in activities that could jeopardize national security, or face judicial proceedings.

Central African Republic has been in conflict since 2013, when predominantly Muslim rebels seized power and forced then-president François Bozizé from office. Mostly Christian militias fought back. A 2019 peace deal helped slow the fighting but six of the 14 armed groups that signed later left the agreement.

The Russian mercenary group Wagner is also present in Central African Republic to hold off armed rebel groups and keep in power President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who has been in office since 2016.