EUROPE/ITALY - "Before God there are no second-class children": Father Maccalli remembers the victims of jihadist terrorism

Tuesday, 12 April 2022

Padua (Agenzia Fides) - "It is essential not to forget the 'anonimus' who are victims of violence and kidnappings by jihadist terrorism that rages in the Sahel. The names of some give a face and a history to local populations who are now hostage to oppression", writes to Agenzia Fides Fr. Pierluigi Maccalli, priest of the Society for African Missions (SMA), who was in the hands of those same organizations from 17 September, 2018 to 9 October 2020 (see Fides, 9/10/2020). "Two of these names are 'African', one is Christopher Botha, South African, the other is Fr. Joël Yougbaré, Burkinabè, of whom there has been no news since March 17, 2019 (see Fides, 20/3/2019).
The missionary remembers when he met Christopher Botha. "I personally met Christopher Botha during my captivity, he was kidnapped a week after me and I saw him arrive where I was being held in transit in northern Burkina Faso. He was all dusty when I saw him get out of the motorcycle taxi, as well as his companion, the Indian Vikram Akoliya (freed in January 2020). The latter was one of the managers of the Inata gold mine, in Burkina Faso, who was with Christopher in the car. They were kidnapped along with their driver who was not taken 'with the whites'. We talked and shared two nights of waiting...and his ordeal is not over yet", recalls Fr. Maccalli.
"I have never met Don Joel Yougbaré, parish priest of Djibo, Burkina Faso. I only learned of his kidnapping after my release. I was able to telephone his bishop Msgr. Laurent Dabiré to express my solidarity and he told me that they think he is alive, but have not had any news since his kidnapping on March 17, 2019". Father Maccalli launches his appeal to keep the memory of these people alive and concludes by saying: "let's not forget them, they are probably part of second-class victims, but before God there are no second-class children. In this period of daily reports on the war in Ukraine, let us help public opinion not to consider anyone as second-class hostages". (GM/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 12/4/2022)


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