Four French hostages kidnapped by al Qaeda’s north African wing three years ago in Niger have been<br />released.<br /><br />President Francois Hollande announced the news,thanking the President of Niger for securing their freedom.<br /><br />The four were seized in September 2010 while working for<br />French nuclear group Areva and another firm in Arlit in Niger. <br /><br />A French diplomatic source said France’s foreign and defence ministers had arrived in the capital Niamey to welcome the hostages who were still in the hands of the Niger authorities, <br /><br />The al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group said it was behind their abduction.
