Statement by Palazzo Chigi on release of three kidnapped Italians in Mali

Rocco Langone, his wife Maria Donata Caivano and their son Giovanni Langone, the three Italian citizens who were kidnapped from their home on the outskirts of the city of Koutiala, southeast of Bamako, the capital of Mali, on 19 May 2022, were freed last night. This area is particularly infiltrated by jihadist militia; the kidnapping was carried out by a jihadist faction linked to JNIM, the Group to Support Islam and Muslims, associated with al-Qa'ida, which is active in large parts of West Africa. The Langone family had been living in a community of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Koutiala for several years, and were fully integrated.
The family’s release was made possible thanks to the intense work initiated by AISE [Italian foreign intelligence and security agency], in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, immediately after the kidnapping first happened, and in particular thanks to AISE’s contacts with leading tribal members and local intelligence services.
Despite their long period of captivity, the members of the Langone family are in a good state of health. They are expected to return to Italy today, arriving in Rome.