A Polish doctor, Aleksandra Kuligowska, was saved after being abducted in Chad by kidnappers. The doctor was abducted near the southern town of Dono Manga and held hostage for five days in a dense forest. The doctor was rescued at 03:00 local time (02:00 GMT) in a joint operation by French and Chadian forces. The kidnappers attempted to shoot down the helicopter, leaving the hostage alone. All three of the kidnappers were killed. Kuligowska was taken to the capital, N'Djamena, by helicopter, and described as "weakened and traumatised" but well. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski expressed her gratitude to local forces and French allies for their actions. Poland's Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed his gratitude to his French counterpart and the French troops and promised that Kuligowska would return to Poland soon.
Kuligowska was seized with a Mexican colleague, Carlos, who was chased by security forces. No group has said it was behind the doctors' kidnapping. France has long had a military presence in West African countries it once colonised and has participated in anti-jihadist operations in the Sahel. However, following a string of coups from 2022 onwards, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have expelled French soldiers from their countries. Chad is home to around 1,000 French troops.
