Missing German missionary in Mali feared to be kidnapped

A German missionary who went missing in Mali’s capital Bamako on Sunday is feared to have been kidnapped, the city’s archbishop said.

Father Hans Joachim Lohre of the Missionaries of Africa, or White Fathers institute, was reported missing to police on Sunday.

The Catholic priest was meant to celebrate mass on Sunday morning. His colleagues noticed that his car remained parked in front of his house the whole day and his telephone was switched off.

“This prolonged absence made them suspect a kidnapping and prompted them to contact the police,” said Archbishop of Bamako Jean Cardinal Zerbo. “We still do not have any news,” he added.