On July 1st, a coalition of jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda released a video showing six foreign hostages, including three missionaries, just hours before France president Emmanuel Macron made his most recent visit to Mali, offering help in support of the African nation's anti-terrorist efforts in the Sahel region. The three missionaries who appeared in the video are from Colombia, Australia and Switzerland.
A Colombian nun, Gloria Argoti, who is in her 60s, was kidnapped on February 7th when assailants broke into her convent in Karangasso, southern Mali. No news had previously emerged regarding her whereabouts, and no group has claimed responsibility for her abduction and detention. This is the first proof of life for the Colombian nun.
An 82-year-old Australian surgeon, Ken Elliott, was kidnapped in January 2016, along with his wife Jocelyn, from the town of Djibo in northern Burkina Faso, near the border with Mali. The couple were taken on the same day that al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) killed 29 victims in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, including six Canadian Christians doing humanitarian work and an American missionary. Although Jocelyn was released a month later, her husband remains in detainment.
On January 15th, al-Qaeda's Ansar al-Dine terrorist group kidnapped Swiss Christian missionary Beatrice Stockli from her home in Timbuktu, Mali. This is the second time in four years that Beatrice has been kidnapped by militants. After the group seized control of Timbuktu, she was accused of proselytizing Christianity, held for ten days, and warned that she would be executed if she tried to return to Timbuktu. Despite the threat, Beatrice returned to Timbuktu in 2013 after French troops liberated the city. In January 2016, AQIM released a video showing Beatrice in full Islamic dress with an English-speaking jihadi proposing a prisoner swap.
Now a year later, another video was posted on social media showing a veiled Beatrice speaking in French, saying that she has been detained for 130 days but is in good health and has been treated well. She concluded by thanking her family and the Swiss government for all their efforts to secure her release. Additional background information on the kidnapping of Beatrice may be reviewed here.
However, there was no reference to the pioneering American missionary who was missing since last October. Jeff Woodke, who worked for a branch of Youth With A Mission, was abducted by unknown assailants late in the evening of October 14th from the town of Abalak in northern Niger. So far, little is known about Jeff's condition or whereabouts, other than news that his captors were tracked to neighbouring Mali by Nigerien authorities. On July 11th, a video was released by Els Woodke, expressing her despair, as well as her desire to be in touch with her husband's kidnappers. A report on Jeff's abduction is available here.
Ask the Lord to tangibly manifest His comforting presence among the kidnapped missionaries while they remain in captivity. Pray that the light of His love will flood their surroundings -- touching even the hearts of their captors -- while mediating for the believers' safe release. May the ministry of the Holy Spirit also console the families and friends of the missionaries, reminding them of God's promise to be a "very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). In addition, please pray for the protection of the country's other foreign mission workers so that needed humanitarian aid can continue assisting the suffering people of Mali.
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