Two priests and a nun 'released' in Cameroon
- 10 years ago
Two Italian priests and a Canadian nun seized in April by gunmen in northern Cameroon have been released, according to the country’s communications minister.
The former hostages have reportedly been flown to the capital Yaoundé and are said to be in good health.
At the time of their abduction, the kidnappees were identified by the Catholic Church as priests Giampaolo Marta and Gianantonio Allegri – missionaries from the diocese of Vicenza in Italy – and the nun as Gilberte Bussières.
The three were taken at gunpoint from their accommodation in the district of Maroua in the early hours of April 5.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnap, suspicion has fallen on Nigerian militant faction Boko Haram.
Its members seized and later released a priest and a French family of seven in Cameroon last year.
Meanwhile Boko Haram fighters have killed thousands of people in an attempt to carve out an Islamic state in neighbouring Nigeria.
The former hostages have reportedly been flown to the capital Yaoundé and are said to be in good health.
At the time of their abduction, the kidnappees were identified by the Catholic Church as priests Giampaolo Marta and Gianantonio Allegri – missionaries from the diocese of Vicenza in Italy – and the nun as Gilberte Bussières.
The three were taken at gunpoint from their accommodation in the district of Maroua in the early hours of April 5.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnap, suspicion has fallen on Nigerian militant faction Boko Haram.
Its members seized and later released a priest and a French family of seven in Cameroon last year.
Meanwhile Boko Haram fighters have killed thousands of people in an attempt to carve out an Islamic state in neighbouring Nigeria.