Fr. Leon Douyon, a Catholic priest in Mali, was recently abducted by Islamist insurgents. He has however just been released much to the relief of the local bishop and congregation.

By ACN Staff

On 21 June, Fr. Leon Douyon, a priest from Ségué in the Mopti region of Mali, was kidnapped by Islamists. Fr. Leon was traveling with four others on foot on a road from Ségué to San to attend a funeral. While traveling they were apprehended by armed Islamists. The Islamists let Fr. Leon’s companions go after a few hours, but the armed militants kept Fr. Leon.

On Tuesday 13 July, Fr. Leon was released by the militants. Mgr Jean-Baptiste Tiama, Bishop of Mopti, passed the following message on to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN):

“Our brother Léon Douyon was separated, far from us. This afternoon he has returned to us and we are very happy”.

The bishop also reported that Fr. Leon was released close to Bandiagara. He is currently resting there before he travels to Mopti.

Bishop Tiama has asked each priest in his diocese to celebrate a Holy Mass of thanksgiving on account of Fr. Leon’s release.

Fr. Leone is a parish priest in Ségué. The local parishioners were delighted to hear about the release of Fr. Leon and gathered immediately upon hearing the news to give thanksgiving in celebration.

Islamist groups in Mali such as Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) and the Islamic State of the Greater Sahara (ISGS) have been carrying out kidnappings to obtain finance or to gain political pressure. For example, ISGS is currently holding Sister Gloria Narváez Argoti from Colombia captive. These Islamist groups often have contact with or are linked to AL Qaeda or ISIS. Since 2012, these Islamist groups have been carrying out an insurgency in Mali.

In addition to this, there is currently an ongoing ethnic conflict in the Mopti region. This conflict is mostly focused on land ownership of the ethnic groups, but there is a slight religious component based on the religious affiliation of the ethnic groups involved. There are the Fulani, who are mostly Muslims, and they are in conflict with the Dogon, who mostly following traditional African religions or are Christians. The vast majority of Mali’s population are Sunni Muslim. About 9% of the population following traditional tribal religion, while only around 2% of the country’s population are Christians. The majority of Mali’s Christians are Catholics.