Russia's Africa Corps Rescues Hostages in Niger Ambush

Russia's Africa Corps successfully freed two hostages, Oleg Greta, a Russian citizen born in 1962, and Yuri Yurov, a Ukrainian born in 1970, who had been captured in an ambush in Niger in August 2024. The two men were held for almost two years by a group linked to Al-Qaeda, specifically the Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

The operation took place in Mali, where the Russian defense ministry initiated a special operation to rescue the hostages. Following their release, the men underwent medical examinations by Russian doctors at an Africa Corps hospital, revealing they suffered from various medical conditions, including severe physical exhaustion.

The hostages were taken in the Tillaberi region near Niger's border with Burkina Faso, an area known for multiple hostage incidents over the past six years. Russia has been deploying military instructors and paramilitary groups in Africa's Sahel region to combat jihadist insurgencies, amid its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.