A Swedish man kidnapped by Islamic militants in northern Mali almost six years ago has been released from captivity, the Swedish government confirmed Monday.
Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallström said in a statement "extensive efforts have been made" to secure the release of Johan Gustafsson, 42, who's situation "has touched many of us".
Mr Rijke was freed by French special forces in April 2015 after he was discovered by chance in a dawn raid in northern Mali.
"The government would like to highlight the excellent cooperation that has characterized the work of the Foreign Ministry, the National Police's operational department and other Swedish and foreign authorities".
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Gustafsson was on a motorcycle trip from Sweden to South Africa when he was kidnapped.
There was no immediate word on Stephen McGown, the South African hostage. The families of the hostages can't afford a ransom of millions of dollars, and the South African and Swedish governments will not negotiate, it said. It was among several jihadist groups that took control of Mali's north in 2012 before being ousted by a French-led military operation launched in January 2013. Over the years, AQIM had released several videos of Gustafsson and McGowan, but there were no clear demands from the kidnappers.
And Frenchwoman Sophie Petronin, head of an NGO, was abducted in the northern Malian city of Gao in late 2016.
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