Colombian Authorities Welcome Release Of Nun Kidnapped In Mali Over Four Years Ago

MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2021) Colombian President Ivan Duque and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez have welcomed the release of a 61-year-old nun who was kidnapped by extremists in Mali in 2017.

"On behalf of the Colombian people, we receive with joy the announcement of the release of nun Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, kidnapped in 2017 in Mali by a jihadist group. We extend a fraternal hug to her and her family," Duque said on Twitter on Saturday.

The Colombian foreign minister said that Mali, Senegal and Ghana helped with the efforts to liberate Narvaez.

"I am immensely happy to hear the news of the liberation in Mali of our dear compatriot, the religious (sister) Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, a goal that we had set for ourselves with the President @IvanDuque, with the support of leaders in Africa, the Presidents of Mali, Senegal and Ghana," Ramirez said on Twitter.

Gloria Cecilia Narvaez, a Franciscan nun from Colombia who was working as a missionary in Mali, was kidnapped by jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda (terrorist group, banned in Russia) on February 7, 2017, near the border with Burkina Faso.

The Malian authorities announced her release on Saturday.