French hostage freed in Sudan

A third French hostage was freed in Sudan on Thursday after being held by local militants for nearly five months, French authorities confirmed later on the day.

The 35-year-old Gauthier Lefevre, a worker of the International Committee of the Red Cross, was kidnapped in the restless Darfur region, west of Sudan, in October 2009.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy thanked the Sudanese authorities "for their particularly precious help in handling this crisis," according a statement from the Elysee Palace.

Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner also expressed his happiness about the release of the aid worker, who he said was the last French national held in Darfur. "I severely condemn those who target humanitarian workers and endanger the population for whom humanitarian aid is indispensable, " a ministry statement quoted Kouchner as saying.

Two other French aid workers were freed in Darfur last weekend after being held hostage for nearly four months.

Source: Xinhua