A Spanish man kidnapped by an armed group in the turbulent Algeria-Mali border region was heading home on Wednesday as Madrid confirmed his liberation.

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A rebel alliance in Mali said Tuesday it has freed a Spanish man who was kidnapped in southern Algeria last week. The Azawad Liberation Front, or FLA, a coalition of separatist armed groups in Mali’s predominately Tuareg north, said on X that it freed Spanish citizen Gilbert Navarro.

A Tuareg rebel alliance in northern Mali has released a Spanish man kidnapped in North Africa on Jan. 17, two of the group's spokesmen said late on Monday. Spain's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a Spanish man had been kidnapped in North Africa.

A coalition of separatists in Mali, the Azawad Liberation Front, on Tuesday said it had freed a Spanish national kidnapped by a group of bandits in Algeria. The kidnappers had hoped to sell him to the Islamic State (IS) group in Mali but were stopped before they could hand him over.

BAMAKO, Mali -- A rebel alliance in Mali said Tuesday it has freed a Spanish man who was kidnapped in southern Algeria last week. The Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), a coalition of separatist armed groups in Mali's predominately Tuareg north, said on the social media platform X that it freed Spanish citizen Gilbert Navarro.

The Spaniard landed at the Boufarik military base, south of the capital on a flight from Algeria's southernmost Tin Zaoutine commune.

Local media claimed that a Spanish tourist had been captured by ISIS terrorists in Alegria and taken across the border into the neighbouring country of Mali.

The Algerian Defense Ministry announced late on Tuesday the reception of a Spanish hostage who had been kidnapped in the south of the country near th

Spanish hostage Gilbert Navarro, kidnapped in North Africa, has been freed by the Tuareg rebel alliance in northern Mali. He was expected to arrive at Algeria's Boufarik air base. The Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed his release but did not comment on the circumstances of his kidnapping.

Algerian authorities on Wednesday handed over freed Spanish hostage Gilbert Navarro to Spanish officials in a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry headqua

Spanish hostage Gilbert Navarro, kidnapped in North Africa, is expected to land in Algeria after being released by a Tuareg rebel alliance in northern Mali.

Following the withdrawal of France's Operation Barkhane, Algeria is being challenged on its southern borders by Sahelian sovereigns seeking to free themselves from its influence.