83-year-old American nun kidnapped by gunmen in Burkina Faso
Suellen Tennyson, an 83-year-old American nun, was abducted in northern Burkina Faso by unidentified gunmen, according to the bishop of the local diocese on Tuesday.
The kidnapping was the country’s latest targeting Westerners.
The nun is a member of the Marianites of Holy Cross, a Catholic congregation.
She had been ministering in a nuns’ community in the parish of Yalgo, part of the diocese of Kaya, since 2014, when she was abducted on Monday night.
Northern Burkina Faso has been invaded by Islamist militants, some of whom have ties to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Several Westerners have been kidnapped in recent years.
“Sister Suellen Tennyson was taken to an unknown destination by her kidnappers who, before leaving, vandalised rooms (and) sabotaged the community vehicle which they tried to take,” Kaya Bishop Theophile Nare said in the statement.
A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Burkina Faso declined to comment.
Burkina Faso’s ruling military junta has said security is its top priority.
This week, it presented a new plan to reorganize and reinforce army operations against the militants.
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