AFRICA/CAMEROON - Fidei Donum priest kidnapped

Yaounde (Agenzia Fides) - A French priest, Father Georges Vandenbeusch, 42, was kidnapped in Cameroon, yesterday, 13 November, around 11.30 pm local time, says to to Fides Agency Mgr. Henri Djonyang, Vicar General of the diocese of Maroua - Mokolo. The priest was taken while he was in the parish of Nguetchewe, about twenty kilometers from the border with Nigeria.
"The kidnappers spoke English, Houssa and Kanuri", said Mgr. Djonyang. It is suspected that the kidnappers come from Nigeria and are men of the Islamist sect Boko Haram.
"Fr. Vandenbeusch is a Fidei Donum priest of the Diocese of Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris. He has been here for about three years and is primarily committed to giving shelter and support to the families of refugees from Nigeria", said the Vicar General. "We are in contact with local authorities but at the moment we have no further information", he concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 14/11/2013)