French journalist seized by Mali jihadists in 2021 appears in new video

A video circulating on social networks appears to show French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was taken hostage by a jihadist group in Mali almost a year ago.

The man, who seems to be in good health in the video of just over one minute, addresses his parents and his partner, from whom he says he receives messages.

The video, which surfaced on Sunday, has not been authenticated and its provenance is unknown, as is the date when it was filmed.

🔴 Espoir ! La nouvelle vidéo d’Olivier Dubois est évidemment un signe positif. Nous comptons sur les autorités maliennes et françaises pour mettre en œuvre les actions nécessaires pour aboutir à sa libération. @RSF_inter @FreeOlivierDub1 https://t.co/xkFrLshSUB

— Christophe Deloire (@cdeloire) March 13, 2022

The man also urges the French government to "continue to do its best" to obtain his release.

Dubois, 47, began working as a freelance journalist in Mali in 2015.

He himself announced his abduction in a video posted on social networks on May 5, 2021. In it, he said he had been kidnapped in the northern city of Gao by the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel which is linked to Al-Qaeda.

Dubois is the last known French hostage in the world after the release in October 2020 of Sophie Petronin, a Franco-Swiss aid worker who was also kidnapped in Mali.

President Emmanuel Macron stated in January that France had not forgotten Dubois. "Tireless work is being carried out by our diplomatic teams, our military and the relevant services" to obtain his release, he said.