Chad: Polish doctor released four days after her kidnapping
In Chad, a doctor of Polish origin, Dr Aleksandra Kuligowska, who was kidnapped on Friday February 9 by a group of "
bandits
" in the province of Tandjilé, in the south of the country, was released on Tuesday February 13, after a rescue operation.
Aerial view of Ndjamena. (Illustrative image) © David Baché / RFI
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In
Chad
, the hunt has been led since Saturday February 10 by the Chadian Minister of Public Security, Mahamat Charfadine Margui, in person. They were finally able to locate the place where the young doctor was being held: the village of Chirack, located in the middle of a large forest, about sixty kilometers from Donomanga, in the sub-prefecture of Ndam. “
With the help of French forces based in Chad, who made it possible to locate them precisely thanks to their technical means
,” according to a Chadian security source.
The rescue operation became widespread yesterday around 4 p.m. local time. Hearing a helicopter flying over the area, three of the kidnappers came out of a hut to shoot her, but the police, who were already in ambush around the house where the Polish woman was, “neutralized
”
them. , in the words of the Chadian Minister of Public Security.
The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, himself announced the release of Aleksandra Kuligowska, who "
is safe and sound
", he declared on Tuesday on X, adding that he had informed the volunteer's relatives. He also thanked “
the local forces and our French allies for their action
”, without giving further details on the conditions of his release.
Polska obywatelka porwana w Czadzie została uwolniona. This is what happened when the telephony was changed.
Dziękuję za działania siłom localnym oraz naszym francuskim sojusznikom. pic.twitter.com/6a1oj0m4kU
— Radosław Sikorski 🇵🇱🇪🇺 (@sikorskiradek) February 13, 2024
“
Traumatized but healthy
”
The volunteer doctor was found “
traumatized by four days of captivity, but is in good health
,” according to the Chadian authorities. She was evacuated on Tuesday evening to Ndjamena to receive first aid, before returning to her native Poland, said Dr. Carlos Salgado, a doctor of Mexican origin, kidnapped with her on Friday February 9 but who immediately escaped. to the kidnappers.
Aleksandra Kuligowska was kidnapped from the Saint-Michel hospital in the locality of Donomanga, administered by the international Catholic humanitarian organization Caritas. No one claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, but it occurred in a region where armed bandits relatively frequently kidnap Chadian civilians for ransom.
Dr Carlos Salgado, who is at his colleague's bedside in Ndjamena today, assures us that he will return quickly to the Donomanga hospital. “
I am here to serve, I will continue to serve the Chadians
,” he insisted.
Also read: Chad: the former human rights advisor to the presidency is concerned about a “withdrawal” of the authorities
(
And with
AFP)
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