Burkina Faso general's abducted daughter freed after one year in captivity

The kidnapped daughter of an exiled Burkina Faso general and ex-foreign minister has been released after more than a year in captivity, her family said on Tuesday.

General Djibril Bassole's daughter Yasmine, who was kidnapped in the capital along with her brother and a cousin in September 2024, was freed on Monday night by masked men, family and friends told AFP.

The kidnapping came after her father, who served as foreign minister under former President Blaise Compaore, was accused of plotting against Burkina Faso's current administration, led by Captain Ibrahim Traore.

Bassole, who has lived in exile in France since 2020, has clashed with Burkina Faso's military leaders since Captain Ibrahim Traore took power in a 2022 coup.

Taken for medical care

"General Bassole's daughter has been freed," a friend of the family told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"She has returned to her family, but will need to be checked into a clinic for care."

Bassole's nephew Benoit Bassole, who was also kidnapped last year, was freed in July.

Bassole's kidnapped son Aziz remains missing.