Administration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., 2023

March 20, 2023

Today I am gratified to share that American Jeff Woodke was released from captivity in West Africa. Jeff was kidnapped while serving people in the Sahel as an aid worker, and I am grateful that he will soon be reunited with his wife, Els, and their family after spending more than 6 years held hostage by terrorists. The United States extends our deep appreciation to the Nigerien Government, which was a critical partner in helping to secure his release. I am also grateful for the hard work of dedicated public servants across the U.S. Government who made this possible, including the hard-working patriots of the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell based at the FBI, the U.S. military, and of the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs based at the Department of State. We remain committed to keep faith with Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained all around the world, and there is no higher priority for this administration than our work to bring them home.

Categories: Statements by the President : Jeffery Woodke, release from captivity in West Africa. Names: Woodke, Els; Woodke, Jeffery.

Subjects: Department of State, Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs; Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell; West Africa, release of U.S. citizen from captivity.

DCPD Number: DCPD202300212.

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