Senegal student 'missing in France' makes contact

A talented Senegalese student studying in France, who had not been seen since 4 January, has made contact with the authorities after a hunt was launched to find her.

Diary Sow wrote a letter to Water and Sanitation Minister Serigne Mbaye Thiam to say she was on "a little break to regain her senses".

When she did not return to school after the Christmas holidays, it caused concern in Senegal and France. She studies at a prestigious Paris school.

Described as "the best student in Senegal", Ms Sow has won several national academic prizes and published her first novel last year.

In a thread on Twitter, the minister shared extracts of her letter - with her permission.

She said she was "not the victim of any kind of pressure" and apologised to those worried about her.

"It is not about overwork, or madness, or the desire for freedom," she said.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: @smthiam/Twitter