Dakar – A German priest who has spent decades in jihadist-torn Mali has gone missing, religious sources and friends of the Catholic cleric said on Monday.
Hans-Joachim Lohre’s car was found in Bamako, the Malian capital, “near the school where he teaches”, a senior official at the Episcopal Conference of Bamako told AFP.
Lohre “is listed as missing. Others say that he has been kidnapped,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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Lohre, who has lived in Mali for around 30 years, teaches inter-religious dialogue at the Islamo-Christian Institute, which receives students from around the world.
One of Lohre’s friends said he was “very concerned” about his absence.
A senior police official, referring to Lohre’s nickname in Mali, told AFP, “Everything is being done to find Father Ha-Jo.”
Jihadist-torn Mali plunged into violence since 2012 with thousands of people killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes.
Kidnappings of foreigners and Malians are not uncommon for criminal or ideological reasons.
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Source: AFP
Picture: Unsplash
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