Chad pardons French aid workers

The aid workers always insisted that they acted in good faith

One of the six French aid workers jailed last December for kidnapping 103 African children has been released from prison hours after Chad pardoned them.

The six, who worked for Paris-based charity, Zoe's Ark, had initially been sentenced to eight years in prison in Chad, but were later moved to France.

They had claimed they were rescuing orphans from Sudan's Darfur region to take them to foster homes in Europe.

But it emerged most of the children were from Chad and were not orphans.

Two of the aid workers may still face criminal charges in France, and several law suits have been lodged against the charity by disappointed foster families.

Chad's government has also said it wants the children's families to receive compensation either from the aid workers or France.

Better relations

Television cameras captured a smiling Dominique Aubry as he left the prison in the Normandy town of Caen on Monday evening.

The 30-year-old volunteer fireman had been employed as a logistics chief by Zoe's Ark when he and his colleagues were detained on 25 October by Chadian security forces at the airport in the eastern town of Abeche.

They were later sentenced to eight years' hard labour in Chad, but had been serving their sentence in prisons across France since late December under a judicial co-operation accord.

Mr Aubry was released only hours after being pardoned in a decree issued by Chad's President, Idriss Deby.

The BBC's Emma Jane Kirby in Paris says the pardon comes at a time of strengthening relations between Chad and France, which helped Mr Deby beat back a rebel assault to overthrow him in February.