A religious community is praying for the safe return of an American nun abducted by armed men during an overnight raid in West Africa, according to the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
Marianite Sister Suellen Tennyson, 83, was taken between April 4 and 5 from a convent where she and other religious women were staying in Yalgo, Burkina Faso, the diocese said in a statement. Tennyson, who has ties to New Orleans, had been stationed as a missionary in Yalgo since 2014.
The accused kidnappers ransacked rooms and “sabotaged the community vehicle” before whisking Tennyson away to an unknown location, archdiocesan officials told Al Jazeera.
“Until the search for her is successful, we remain in communion of prayer for the release of Sr. Suellen Tennyson,” Bishop Theophile Nare of the Kaya Diocese said in a statement.
The U.S. State Department was alerted to reports of a U.S. citizen missing from Burkina Faso and “is working diligently with local authorities” to monitor the situation, a department spokesperson told McClatchy News.
Armed groups, some with extremist ties, have overrun “large swaths of territory” in the West African nation and violently attacked civilians and the military, according to Al Jazeera. In November, nearly 70 people were killed in a pair of attacks in the province of Soum, which borders Yalgo.
“We first and foremost are praying for Sr. Suellen’s safety and for her release from her captives,” Sister Ann Lacour, congregational leader for the Marianites, said in a statement. “Let us pray too for all impacted by the actions of this group, particularly our sisters who witnessed the vandalism and kidnapping.”
The Archdiocese said it will release additional information on the situation as it becomes available.
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