 To other parts of Africa now, a journalist who disappeared last month in Mali's northern city of Goa appeared in a video on Wednesday, appealing to authorities to do everything they can to free him from Islamist militants holding him hostage. French journalist Olivier Dubois said he was kidnapped by the gym on April 8th in a 21-second video shared in social media that has yet to be verified by authorities. Direct civilians have long been favoured targets for kidnapping by criminals and Islamist groups in West Africa's Arut Sahel region, partly because of perceptions that the French government is prepared to pay ransom to secure their release. France has repeatedly denied paying ransom for hostages. Hello. Hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.