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France 24
France 24
National
FRANCE 24

Special edition: French ex-hostages arrive in Paris after Burkina Faso rescue

Anne Mimault, Reuters | Rescued hostages, two French citizens and one South Korean, attend a news conference by Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Alpha Barry (not pictured) at the presidency in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso May 11, 2019.

Three foreign hostages, including two French citizens, will arrive in Paris on Saturday evening after their rescue by French special forces in Burkina Faso. Watch FRANCE 24's special edition for coverage of their return.

Three ex-hostages -- including a South Korean citizen -- will arrive in Paris at 6pm French time (GMT +2), where they will be greeted by French President Emmanuel Macron and senior government and military officials.

The French tourists, Patrick Picque, 51, and Lassimouillas, 46, disappeared during a tour of Pendjari National Park on May 1. The disfigured body of their guide was found shortly after they were reported missing, along with their abandoned Toyota truck.

Intelligence agencies tracked their captors across the semi-desert terrain of eastern Burkina Faso, where it appeared they would soon cross the border into Mali. Macron gave the order for the night-time raid Thursday on the militants' camp, in which Picque and Lassimouillas were freed, along with an American woman and a South Korean woman.

Click on the video player above to watch FRANCE 24's special report.

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