Kidnapped nun freed in Mali

A Franciscan nun from Colombia kidnapped by jihadists in Mali in 2017 was freed Saturday, said a statement from Mali’s presidential office.

The statement on the presidential Twitter account paid tribute to the courage of Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, who was held for four years and eight months.

Ms Narvaez was taken hostage at Koutiala, while working as a missionary there.

Mali has been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency that first emerged in the north of the country in 2012, and which has since spread to neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.