An 88-year-old Australian surgeon, Kenneth Elliott, has been freed from seven years' captivity in West Africa, the Australian government said Friday.
Elliott and his wife were abducted by Al Qaeda-linked jihadists in Burkina Faso in January 2016.
His wife Jocelyn was released three weeks later.
"Unfortunately, Dr Elliott was held for a further seven years," Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters.
The doctor returned to Australia on Thursday night, she said.
"Dr Elliott is safe and well and has been reunited with his wife Jocelyn and their children," Wong said.
"I am so pleased that his release has been secured and he is safely again with his family."
Elliott's family said they were relieved at his release and prayed for others still being held.
"We wish to express our thanks to God and all who have continued to pray for us," the family said in a statement.
"At 88 years of age, and after many years away from home, Dr Elliott now needs time and privacy to rest and rebuild strength. We thank you for your understanding and sympathy."
Before their capture, the couple from Perth in Western Australia had run the sole medical clinic in Djibo, a town near the border with Mali, since 1972.
They had also carried out humanitarian work in Mali and Niger.
The pair were abducted close to the Niger border on the night of January 15-16, 2016.
Malian militant group Ansar Dine said at the time that the couple had been taken by jihadists from the "Emirate of the Sahara" -- suspected by experts to be a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Elliott's wife was freed after mediation from Niger.
Published 19 May 2023, 05:12 IST