PARIS — President Francois Hollande's office formally confirmed on Monday the death of a French hostage in Mali, ending the uncertainty about the status of one of six French citizens captured by al-Qaida's North African arm.
A statement from the president's office said an autopsy would be performed to learn the cause of death of Philippe Verdon once the body is transferred to France. Tests were conducted on the body to verify the identity.
The media arm of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, had said on Twitter in April that Verdon was dead after an unofficial announcement in March. Verdon, in his early 50s, had been captured in Hombori, in northeastern Mali, in November 2011 along with another French citizen. Both were reportedly on a business trip.
The al-Qaida-linked group, which said they were abducted from their hotel room, alleged they were French spies. AQIM is still believed to be holding five French hostages.
AQIM was one of three Islamic extremist groups who controlled northern Mali until a January French-led military intervention cut their stranglehold, killing extremists and scattering others to neighboring countries.
Verdon was known to be in ill health and there has been speculation that his death was related to pre-existing conditions. However, AQIM took credit for his death, saying in April that the fate of the remaining captives "is in the hands of French President Francois Hollande and the door is still open to find a just solution."
The presidential statement reiterated that "those responsible for the death of our countryman must be identified and judged."
The al-Qaida offshoot had thrived in the past from its hostage-taking business, which produced lucrative ransoms. France has always maintained that it did not pay ransoms to free hostages, though it has been widely surmised that payments were made indirectly. However, Hollande, who ordered the intervention to rid Mali, a former French colony, of extremists, said a policy of no ransoms must be scrupulously respected.
