Detained aid worker Joseph Figueira Martin freed in Central African Republic

Joseph Figueira Martin, a detained aid worker, has been freed in the Central African Republic. His family told The Associated Press he was headed back to Lisbon. Martin, a consultant for FHI 360, was arrested in May 2024 over allegations of spying and plotting a coup. He had been held in a military prison and had previously started a hunger strike. Arrests of foreign aid workers are rare, but the country is tightening control over NGOs. The Central African Republic has faced conflict since 2013, with Russian mercenaries present to support the government.