In an area shrouded by the turmoil of extremist unrest, Olivier Dubois embarked on what he believed to be a promising journalistic mission in Mali. As a correspondent reporting for Libération and Jeune Afrique, Dubois sought a groundbreaking interview with a high-ranking member of the JNIM, a notable branch of al-Qaeda operating in the Sahel. Yet, the adventure turned catastrophic when Dubois found himself captured en route to the meeting in Gao, Northern Mali, in April 2021.
Dubois spent a harrowing 711 days held hostage in the harsh desert conditions. Enduring the unthinkable, his survival strategies involved remaining chained to trees, subsisting on sparse dried goat meat, and mentally rehearsing daring escape plans. The narrative of his grueling captivity has been meticulously captured in a recently released book, drawing from his clandestinely written notes on scraps of paper.
In his first interview with English-language media, Dubois recounted to The Associated Press how his identity as a journalist became his lifeline during captivity. Remembering that I am a journalist helped me enormously. I maintained my sanity by pretending to work, interviewing and amassing information, he reflected.
Throughout West Africa's Sahel region, countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have experienced military coups. These nations, now under military junta rule, face escalating extremist violence, with kidnappings becoming alarmingly frequent. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) has documented over 1,468 kidnappings by JNIM between 2017 and 2025. The terrorist group exploits ransom demands and instills fear among locals to fund operations.
An inquiry by French media into Dubois’s ordeal unveiled that his fixer was a conduit for French intelligence, attempting to locate the extremist leader Dubois intended to interview. It might have been a betrayal, Dubois mused, admitting his naive trust in his fixer. The exact motives behind this betrayal remain murky.
Upon his release on March 20, 2023, in Agadez, Niger, the circumstances — whether any ransom was involved — stayed under wraps, although some hints at ransoms were shared. French President Emmanuel Macron announced Dubois' freedom publicly but omitted further comments on the specifics of his release.
While captive, Dubois' psychological resilience faltered following failed escape attempts, culminating in a staged mock execution by his captors, debilitating his aspirations of physical escape. To counter the psychological duress, Dubois immersed himself in reading the Quran. The reading not only afforded him insight into his captors' mindset, building rapport with them, but also initiated him on a spiritual journey from atheism to agnosticism, with an uncertain path toward spirituality.
Dubois’ personal saga, chronicled in Prisonnier du désert, 711 jours aux mains d’Al-Qaïda,” (“Prisoner of the Desert, 711 Days in al-Qaeda’s Hands”) marks a poignant reflection on survival and courage. As he steps toward his next chapter, Dubois contemplates a return to journalism, pondering whether time might diminish the shadows of his past. Writing was an arduous process. With the book complete, I hoped to distance myself from the story. As he moves forward, the echoes of his experience resonate still, each day a step towards healing and transformation.
