A German Catholic priest, identified as Father Hans-Joachim Lohre, who disappeared in Mali in November 2022 and was thought to have been kidnapped, has been released.
It was gathered that the development was made known over the weekend by the two archdiocesan and government officials.
Lohre had been due to celebrate Mass in the Malian capital when he went missing. His car was left parked outside his home and calls to his phone went to voicemail.
No details were given of the priest’s state of health or the conditions of his detention and release.
“The priest Hans-Joachim Lohre, who was abducted on 20 November 2022, was released on Sunday. He is on a plane to his country”, an archdiocesan official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as is customary in hostage cases. A government official confirmed the information, also on condition of anonymity.
Mali has been wracked by violence for years and kidnappings of foreigners and Malians have regularly taken place for criminal or ideological reasons, though they are more common outside the capital.
