A German missionary priest, Father Hans-Joachim Lohre, has gone missing in the African country of Mali and is feared to have been kidnapped.
G. Tran Duc Anh, OP | RVA
The Fides news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Gospels, broadcast on November 22, reported that Father Lohre, 65 years old, belongs to the African missionary order, known as the White Fathers, and has been active for more than 30 years. in Mali. He worked at the Christian-Islamic Academy and was in charge of the Faith and Encounter Center in Hamdallaye. Father has been missing since last Sunday, November 20. "He was supposed to go to the Kalaban Coura community for Sunday Mass, but since then nothing has been heard of him," the White Fathers' internal flyer said.
Father Lohre's car was found near the Academy in the capital Bamako and investigators later found his father's neck strap with a small cross next to the car. The car door was open and there were footprints on the floor, as if someone had struggled.
Father Lohre's German nationality may have been what attracted the missionary's attention due to several groups operating in Mali. In this country, the German federal army has about 1,200 soldiers participating in the United Nations Minusma Army. Germany is one of the few European countries that still have troops in Mali, after France's withdrawal from the country and the UK is also considering whether to end the mission in Mali or not. The German government also thought of this solution and the German Parliament extended the mission to May next year, 2023.
In Mali, there are several jihadist groups linked to the terrorist forces Al Qaeda and ISIS, which in the past have carried out many kidnappings of foreigners, such as Sister Gloria Cecilia Narváez, human missionary. Colombia was abducted on February 7, 2017, near Koutiala in Mali, and was released last October.
(Fides 22-11-2022)