Catholic Priest “out of danger” Following Armed Bandits Attack in DR Congo’s Kisangani Archdiocese

He shares the “deep indignation” of the Local Ordinary of Kisangani, Archbishop Marcel Utembi Tapa, who he says “denounces the resurgence of insecurity that is rampant in the city and its surroundings.”

“This insecurity is marked by multiple armed robberies and nighttime operations by bandits, sparing neither religious communities nor individuals,” Fr. Aekefelo laments.

He adds, “This latest incident adds to a list of many other cases reported in the recent past, regarding which the silence of the competent authorities plunges the population into insecurity and despair.”

“Among them are the armed attack on the Father Déon Scholasticate, the Convent of the Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, the Carmelite Convent, and the assassination of an employee of the Church Supply Office, Mr. Boniface, to name only these,” the Congolese Chancellor of Kisangani Archdiocese bemoans.

He notes that “this situation casts discredit on the city of Kisangani, once known as a hospitable city.”

More in Africa

Abducted Catholic Priest in Custody for Alleged “violent subversive activities against state”: Uganda’s Defence Official

Read the article

Fr. Aekefelo appeals to the relevant Congolese authorities to “promptly fulfill their mission of protecting the population and its property, as well as securing the city.”

He invites all the people of God to pray for the “speedy recovery of Father Jean-Paul Yailo and for peace in our city, through the intercession of Blessed Anuarite and the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Peace.”

Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.