Russia says its Africa Corps has freed Russian and Ukrainian citizens abducted in Niger

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Russia's Africa Corps freed one Russian citizen and one Ukrainian who had been abducted by an al-Qaida affiliate in Niger in July 2024, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The ministry identified the freed captives as Russian citizen Oleg Gret and Ukrainian citizen Yuri Yurov. They both appeared in a video posted on a media platform affiliated with Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an armed group which controls large swathes of territory in the Sahel region.

"As a result of a special operation conducted by the Africa Corps in the Republic of Mali, employees of a Russian geological exploration company captured in July 2024 in Niger by the terrorist group Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin were freed," the statement said.

The abduction was a hit to Russia in the region, where it has since displaced previous Western partners. In recent years, Russia has capitalized on the growing dissatisfaction with France, the former colonial power in the region, and escalating attacks from armed groups.

The Russian state-controlled paramilitary proxy group, the Africa Corps, replaced the mercenary Wagner Group for Moscow's military operations on the continent.

"The hostages freed by the Russian Africa Corps servicemen will be transported by Russian military transport aircraft to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation," the ministry said.