An 83-year-old British missionary and his assistant have been abducted by an unknown group of armed men in Cameroon, his church group has said.ย
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Huub Welters and assistant Henry Kang were captured on Tuesday, April 1, ย in Bambui, a town located in the country’sย separatist conflict-hit anglophone northwest.ย
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The pair were onย their way to a project to build classrooms for underprivileged children in nearby Ilung, according to The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary.ย
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In an update on Wednesday, the London-based Catholic missionary said Mr Welters had spent his first night in captivity but they had ‘no idea’ where he was.ย
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They raised concerns about his ‘fragile health’, saying he has recently undergone a series of joint replacements and a back operation.ย
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The missionary added that Mr Kang has a wife and children who are ‘waiting in agony’ and praying for his safe return. ย
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African Conscience, an NGO contacted by AFP, said it believed the pair had been abducted by separatist fighters.
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‘The authorities of the Archdiocese are currently working for their release,’ the NGO added. ‘We pray. We plead. We wait.’
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The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary posted on their website: ‘[Mr Welters] He has given everything, his time, his energy, his very being, to serve the people he loves.ย
‘And yet, today, he finds himself tormented by the very ones he has spent a lifetime caring for.’
They continued: ‘At his age, he should be at home, resting, surrounded by the warmth of cherished memories from his decades of selfless service.ย
‘Instead, he chose to stay; because his heart simply wouldnโt allow him to walk away from those in need. And now, his kindness, his sacrifice, his love have been met with violence and suffering.’
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