A German man kidnapped in Niger was handed over to the Algerian army.

A German national kidnapped in Niger by an armed group about two weeks ago has been freed and taken into the care of the Algerian army's security services, Algiers announced on Saturday.

The announcement came from the Algerian Ministry of Defense, via a statement released by the official news agency. The hostage was recovered on Friday by Algerian forces, before being transferred on a special flight from Guezzam, a town in southern Algeria, to the Boufarik military base, located near Algiers.

According to the same statement, the man is in "good health" and will be handed over to German authorities "at a later date." No details were provided regarding the exact circumstances of his release or the identity of the armed group responsible for the kidnapping.

On the German side, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that they were aware of the case, while indicating that the government "does not comment on cases of abduction of German nationals abroad."

Niger, governed by a military junta since the coup of July 2023, has for several years faced persistent violence fueled by jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda or the "Islamic State" organization.