The French government will make constant efforts to rescue French hostages held in the Sahel, said President Francois Hollande on Sunday during a meeting with the hostages' families at the Elysee Palace.

"The Head of the State reiterated the full solidarity of the nation and assured them of the government's constant action for the release of their loved ones," the Presidency said in a statement.

It also said that the country will "work on this with determination and responsibility and no track is ignored or set aside."

French nationals have been the target of Islamist groups in the Sahel region. So far seven French citizens were held as hostages by Islamist militants in the Sahel region.

On Sunday, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian confirmed that the seven French nationals were all alive.