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AUSTRALIAN WOMAN KIDNAPPED IN BURKINA FASO RELEASED AS EFFORTS TO FREE HUSBAND CONTINUE

8th February, 2016

An Australian woman kidnapped in Burkina Faso more than three weeks ago by al-Qaeda militants has been released, prompting an intensification of efforts to have her husband – surgeon Ken Elliott – released as well.

The couple, who have worked in Burkina Faso for more than 40 years and established a medical centre in the northern town of Djibo, were abducted on 15th January following a series of attacks on the capital of Ouagadougou in which 28 people died.

Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou attended a news conference in southern Niger with Mrs Elliott on Saturday during which he said authorities were now focused on gaining the release of her husband. Mrs Elliott thanked authorities in both Burkina Faso and Niger for assisting with her release.

Family members of the couple, who, aged in their 80s, have three children, reportedly said they were "deeply grateful" for Mrs Elliott’s release and that they trusted "the moral and guiding principles of those who have released our mother will also be applied to our father, who has served the community of Djibo and the Sahel for more than half his lifetime."

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also thanked the Government of Niger and Burkina Faso for their efforts in comments made to the ABC on the weekend but reportedly decided to comment on the prospect of Dr Elliot’s release. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she had spoken to Mrs Elliott who she described as well, relieved and "very tired". "Our overriding concern now is for her husband," she said.

The militant group al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) issued a statement on Saturday claiming responsibility for the kidnapping and that Mrs Elliott was being released unconditionally.

Originally from Perth, the couple moved to Burkina Faso in the early 1970s and established a medical clinic in Djibo where Dr Elliott was the sole surgeon.

– DAVID ADAMS

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