An 83-year-old British Catholic missionary, Huub Welters, and his assistant, Henry Kang, have been kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Cameroon, according to their church group.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, April 1, in Bambui, a town in the conflict-ridden Anglophone northwest region of the country.
Welters and Kang were reportedly on their way to Ilung to oversee the construction of classrooms for underprivileged children when they were abducted.
The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary group, to which Welters belongs, shared an update on Wednesday stating that he had spent his first night in captivity, but his whereabouts remained unknown.
Church officials have expressed grave concerns about Welters’ health, highlighting that he recently underwent multiple joint replacement surgeries and a back operation.
Meanwhile, his assistant, Kang, has a wife and children who are anxiously waiting and praying for his safe return.
According to African Conscience, an NGO contacted by AFP, separatist fighters are believed to be responsible for the kidnapping. Efforts are reportedly underway by the Archdiocese to secure their release. “We pray. We plead. We wait,” the NGO stated.
The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary group lamented the abduction, emphasizing Welters’ lifelong dedication to serving the local community. In a statement, they wrote:
“He has given everything—his time, his energy, his very being—to serve the people he loves. And yet, today, he finds himself tormented by the very ones he has spent a lifetime caring for.”
They further noted that at his age, he could have retired peacefully but chose to remain in Cameroon out of his deep commitment to the people.
“His kindness, his sacrifice, his love have been met with violence and suffering,” the statement concluded.
