A French aid worker kidnapped on Monday in the Central African Republic by the anti-balaka militia has been freed, France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Friday. "Our compatriot Claudia Priest, who was kidnapped at the start of the week in the Central African Republic, is finally free. It's an immense relief for all those who have worked towards this happy outcome," Fabius said in a statement.
Priest, 67, was kidnapped along with a local man in the capital Bangui on Monday. A UN employee was also briefly detained by the anti-balaka the following day. The abductions were thought to be in response to the arrest of one of the anti-balaka's leaders by UN peacekeepers last Saturday.