Australian Couple Kidnapped By Extremists In Burkina Faso

The past 48 hours have seen great unrest in the west African country of Burkina Faso.

Yesterday, a jihadist assault on an upscale hotel in the capital city of Ouagadougou left at least 29 people dead, many of them foreigners, according to the government. 

Today, there are reports that an Australian doctor and his partner have been kidnapped by militants in Baraboule, near the country’s borders with Niger and Mali.

Dr Kenneth Elliot and his partner Jocelyn, both aged in their 80s, have lived in the country since 1972, running a 120-bed medical clinic in the small northern town of Djibo. 

A spokesman from Ansar Dine, a militant group active in Mali, has since released a statement saying that the couple are alive, and that “more details will be released soon.”

Diplomatic sources in the country say the have received intelligence that the kidnappers planned to take the couple towards Mali.

Per Fairfax reports, Denmark‘s Crown Princess Mary is scheduled to travel to Burkina Faso later this month, but Denmark’s Foreign Minister says that plan is currently being reassessed, and she will not go unless her safety is guaranteed.