German priest Hans-Joachim Lohre was released this Sunday after he was kidnapped on November 20 last year near the church where he worked in Mali. A member of the African Missionary Society spent 371 days in captivity, Aid to the Church in Need (AIS) says.
“The priest, kidnapped on November 20, 2022, was released this Sunday. He is on a plane heading to his country,” the statement said.
The 66-year-old priest was reportedly kidnapped by members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic and Muslim Support Group. His car was found abandoned and the cross he usually wore lay on the ground.
Hans developed work on interreligious dialogue and taught at the Institute of Christian-Islamic Education. AIS always followed the abduction “with concern.”
Besides Hans, there is at least one other kidnapped priest who is still in the hands of jihadist groups in the region. Joël Huguebare was kidnapped in Burkina Faso on March 17, 2019.