French national abducted in Chad

Violence broke out on May 23 at Kouri Bougoudi near the Libyan border.

What you need to know:

  • Several French and other Western nationals have been kidnapped by jihadist groups in west and central Africa in recent years.

PARIS

A French civilian has been abducted in the central African nation of Chad, French authorities said on Thursday.

The kidnapping took place near the eastern city of Abeche, a military source told reporters in Paris, saying "all means have been mobilised" to secure their release.

The French foreign ministry confirmed the abduction, without giving details.

Several French and other Western nationals have been kidnapped by jihadist groups in west and central Africa in recent years.

The only known French hostage currently being held anywhere in the world is Sophie Petronin, head of a NGO who was abducted by armed men in the northern Malian town of Gao late last year.

No group has claimed responsibility for her disappearance.

The last such case in Chad — a former French colony — dates back to 2009, when a Frenchman working for the Red Cross was abducted by a group from the the war-torn Darfur province in neighbouring Sudan.

He was freed after 89 days.

France has troops stationed in Chad under Operation Barkhane, which was launched in 2014 to try flush out Al-Qaeda-linked extremists from the region.

A year earlier, French forces intervened in Mali to help local forces win back control of the country's north from Al-Qaeda-linked extremists.