Released hostages on their way to Bamako

Fourteen European tourists kidnapped by militants and held hostage for over five months in the southern Sahara desert have been released following successful negotiations between the Malian government and the militants, the Malian government announced on Monday. The tourists were expected to be flown to the Malian capital, Bamako, on Tuesday before returning to their respective countries, Seydou Cissouma, communications officer in the Presidency told IRIN. Released on Monday by an Algerian militant group, they were part of a larger group of 32 European tourists who were kidnapped while touring the desert in February and March. Some 17 of them were released in May. Sources attributed the kidnapping to a pro-Algerian Islamist organisation, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) who are fighting for an Islamist state in southern Algeria. The group is led by a former member of the Algerian army. The tourists include nine Germans, four Swiss and one Dutch national. Malian authorities, who were thrust to the center of the conflict when the kidnappers moved the hostages from their Algerian base to northern Mali, said the hostages were in their custody from Monday afternoon. One person, a 45-year old German, died in late June in the far-northern town of Tessalit according to media reports, where they have been held since late July, international media reported. Diplomatic efforts by the concerned European governments and Mali gave impetus to negotiations, since the hostages were brought over from Algeria to the northern Malian town of Tessalit, with Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure putting together a mediation team headed by a former leader of Mali's Tuareg rebellion, Iyad Ag Agaly. The team included other Malian Tuaregs, who share close family, cultural and trade links with the tribesmen from southern Algeria who kidapped the European tourists in February and March this year. The authorities had hoped that they would therefore be more likely to be able to win the confidence of the kidnappers in negotiations. Over the weekend, the German secretary of state for foreign affairs, Jurgen Chrobog, visited both Algeria and Mali and said a solution was "imminent". On Monday, Chrobog was again in Bamako to witness the release of the hostages. News agencies said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder welcomed the release of the tourists and thanked the roles played by Mali and Algeria, but added that the kidnappers must be punished. Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, also welcomed the news of the release. According to Malian sources, the hostages were in good health.