Vision Logo Circle
Vision Logo Circle

Australian Missionary Doctor Freed After Being Held Hostage for 7 Years

by | Fri, May 19 2023

Text size: A- A+

An elderly Australian missionary doctor who has lived and worked in West Africa for more than half a century has been freed after spending the last seven years held in captivity by an Islamic terror group.

88-year-old Dr. Ken Elliott was taken hostage from his Burkina Faso clinic by al-Qaeda affiliated militants in January 2016 along with his wife Jocelyn who was released three weeks later.

He is reported to be safe and well and is now reunited with Jocelyn and their children.

“We wish to express our thanks to God and all who have continued to pray for us,” his family said in a statement.

“We express our relief that Dr. Elliott is free and thank the Australian government and all who have been involved over time to secure his release,” they added.

“He now needs time and privacy to rest and rebuild strength.”

The Elliotts are originally from Perth, but since 1972 had lived in the Burkina Faso town of Djibo where they ran a 120-bed medical clinic near the borders with Niger and Mali.

Locals referred to Ken Elliott as the ‘Doctor of the Poor’ for giving free treatment to his patients.

At the time of their kidnapping a family spokesman said the Elliotts were held in high esteem by the townspeople who launched an internet petition demanding the release of Ken who was declared a citizen of Burkina Faso in November 2016.

Since he was taken captive, the clinic has ceased to operate and patients have to travel hundreds of kilometres to the capital Ouagadougou.

It’s believed he had been held by Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an umbrella terrorist group based in Mali and active across much of West Africa, including parts of Burkina Faso and Niger.

According to a report by Burkina Faso’s L’Evenement newspaper, Dr. Elliott was guarded by 20 armed men in Mali’s Mopti region.

Some reports say he was kidnapped to “teach medicine” to terrorist fighters.

Foreign Minister Senator Penny Wong said the government and the Elliott family had worked “tirelessly” for the doctor’s release.

She thanked Australian officials who had worked to secure his release and support the family.

“We acknowledge the strength and resilience Dr. Elliott and members of his family have shown through the most difficult of circumstances,” Senator Wong said.