Hans-Joachim Lohre has lived in Mali for thirty years and teaches at the Islamo-Christian training institute in Bamako.
Mo12345lemonde with AFP
A Catholic priest of German nationality has been missing in Mali since Sunday evening November 20, we learned Monday from religious and relatives. “The car of Hans-Joachim Lohre was found in a district of Bamako not far from the Training Institute where he gives lessons,” a manager of the Bamako episcopal conference told AFP in which the Priest is responsible for interreligious dialogue. “It is missing. Others say it has been removed,” he added under the cover of anonymity.
Teaching the dialogue of religions
Nicknamed “Ha-Jo”, the German priest has lived in Mali for thirty years. He teaches in the Malian capital at the Islamo-Christian training institute, which receives students from Africa, according to one of his relatives who said he was “very worried”.
The priest “teaches the dialogue of religions and really believes the peaceful cohabitation of religions”, underlined a worker from the Center Faith and meeting of Bamako, whose disappeared religious is also responsible. Questioned by AFP, an official of the police department assured that “everything was done to find Father Ha-Jo”.
Mali has been prey since 2012 to a serious security crisis and violence of all kinds, of which kidnappings are one of the aspects, whether foreigners or Malians. The motivations, ideological or villainous, range from the request for a ransom to the act of reprisals via the will to bargain.
Several Christian religious and religious have been kidnapped in recent years. The abductions are less common in the capital and in the South, more preserved by violence than the north or the center of the country.