The freed hostages thank the Malian president during the visit of the palace

BAMAKO – A senior government official and a journalist released from suspected jihadist kidnappers met Wednesday with the Malian president, while authorities have announced the death of a third hostage.

Makan Doumbia, the prefect of the commune of Tenenkou in central Mali and the journalist Issiaka Tamboura were received by Ibrahim Boubacar Keita at the presidential palace lunch at the end of their tests.

Doumbia, the highest government representative in the commune, was abducted in the Mopti region on May 8, while Tamboura was taken to central Mali in December.

Both were released on Monday "thanks to state security action," an AFP source said.

The two men thanked Keita for "all the efforts of his government in the happy outcome of the situation in which their lives were in danger," said the office of the president.

In a separate statement, the government said their release was "the result of a long process to save their lives," without giving details.

However, the Malian Minister of Justice said that another hostage who had been kidnapped in November 2017 – an unnamed judge from Niono – had died.

Islamist militias linked to al-Qaeda took northern Mali in 2012, but were repulsed by French troops the following year.

A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups aimed at restoring stability.

However, the agreement failed to put an end to the violence of Islamist militants – who also organized attacks in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.