Kidnaped Swiss missionary freed in Mali

A Swiss missionary kidnapped ten days ago in northern Mali was freed Tuesday, Switzerland's foreign ministry confirmed. Local radio in Mali reported that the woman - who is known by her first name, Beatrice - had been released by the Islamist sect Ansar Dine. "She has been brought to a safe place. She is in good health, given the circumstances," the ministry said after the missionary had been handed over to a Swiss diplomat. Ansar Dine, which advocates sharia law, seized three key towns in northern Mali at the end of March, alongside separatist fighters from other rebel groups including the Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA). Beatrice, who is in her forties and had been living and working as a missionary in the ancient town of Timbuktu, was expected to return to Switzerland, the reports said.