An abducted German priest is freed in Mali, a year after being seized in the country’s capital

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A German priest who was abducted by al-Qaida-linked rebels in Mali’s capital in November 2022 has been released by his captors. A former colleague says church members in the African country’s capital of Bamako learned of the release of Rev. Hans-Joachim Lohre late on Sunday. The German Foreign Office on Monday confirmed Lohre’s release and said he had arrived in Germany. That’s according to the German news agency dpa. There were few details about the release, and authorities in Mali could not be reached for comment. The priest’s abduction was the first time that the militants had seized a foreigner in Mali’s capital since their insurgency began more than a decade ago.