An 88-year-old Australian doctor held captive in West Africa for more than seven years has been released and safely returned to his family, the Australian government has announced. Australia Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Kenneth Elliott, from the west coast city of Perth, is safe and well and has been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children Elliott and his wife were kidnapped by rebel fighters in northern Burkina Faso in January 2016 near the border with Mali and Niger, where they had operated a 120-bed medical clinic for more than 40 years.

Jocelyn Elliott was freed after three weeks. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb said it had kidnapped the couple and released the woman unconditionally because of public pressure and guidance from leaders not to involve women in war.