00:00In Central African Republic, three hostages released this week after ten months in captivity
00:07arrived in Bangui aboard a special UN flight.
00:12A local government official and two members of the National Election Authority, they were
00:17kidnapped in Bambuti in December, on the day of the general election.
00:22In Bangui, they received a hero's welcome.
00:27The period we spent in captivity was truly horrific.
00:31What we endured in the bush was extremely difficult.
00:36Today we feel immense joy at having been received by the President of the Republic, Mr Faustin
00:43Archange Touadera.
00:45Government officials in the MINUSCA peacekeeping force negotiated for months with the Azande
00:52militants behind the kidnap.
00:54The Russian-trained armed group emerged in the Oumbomu region of CAR in 2023 in a bid
01:03to expel rebels from the Union for Peace.
