Algeria announces recovery of German national kidnapped in Niger

Algeria announced on Saturday that it had taken custody of a German national who was kidnapped in Niger approximately two weeks prior by an "armed criminal group." Unconfirmed reports had circulated for days about the German's abduction, but no official source had previously confirmed it.

The German, identified as Ulumaskan Sinan in a statement from the Algerian Ministry of Defense, was taken in by Algerian army security services on Friday. He was then transported via special flight to In Guezzam in the country's far south, and subsequently to the Boufarik military base near Algiers, according to the same source.

The statement indicated that the German national is in "good health." He will be handed over to German authorities "at a later date." The man recounted the "circumstances of his abduction and his detention by his captors for about two weeks," the text added without further detail. He also expressed gratitude to the Algerian authorities for their efforts, which ensured "his safe return."

Niger, led by a military regime since the July 2023 coup, faces ongoing jihadist violence from groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization.