( CNN ) -- Four French hostages held in Niger since 2010 have been released , French President Francois Hollande announced Tuesday . A French Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the release to CNN , adding that Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian have arrived in Niamey , Niger 's capital , to bring the men back to France . The President 's announcement came during a visit to Slovakia . The men -- Pierre Legrand , Daniel Larribe , Thierry Dol and Marc Feret -- were part of a group of seven people who were abducted by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on September 16 , 2010 , in Arlit , a city in central Niger . Three people were released in 2011 , including Larribe 's wife , Francoise , who was ill , as well as Jean-Claude Rakotorilalao of Madagascar and Alex Awando from Togo . In April 2011 , AQIM released a video of the men asking then-President Nicolas Sarkozy to withdraw French troops from Afghanistan .
four people were abducted by AQIM in the Islamic Maghreb in 2010 . Three were released in 2010 . AQIM posted a video of the Three remaining hostages in April 2011 . French officials are in Francois Hollande to bring the men back home .