A BRIT missionary, 83, and his assistant have been abducted by a group of armed men in Cameroon, the church group revealed.
Huub Welters and his assistant Henry Kang were brutally captured in Bambui on Tuesday.
The town is located in the country’s separatist conflict-hit anglophone northwest.
Welters and Kang were heading to a mission organized by The Catholic Mill Hill Missionary to construct classrooms for needy children in the local Ilung area.
In Wednesday’s update on the pair, the Catholic missionary said they have “no idea” where Welters is.
The organisation revealed in a statement: “They were abducted by unknown armed men, and as of now, no one knows where they are.
“What weighs heaviest on our hearts is his fragile health.
Despite undergoing various surgeries, including joint replacements and a back operation, he is now facing the additional anguish of being captured by the very people he aimed to assist.
NGO African Conscience shared with AFP that it believes the pair have been abducted by separatist fighters.
The NGO added: “The authorities of the Archdiocese are currently working for their release.
“We pray. We plead. We wait.”
Violence and abductions in Cameroon‘s Northwest and Southwest regions are a pressing issue.
The areas are mainly populated by Cameroon’s English-speaking minority.
Separatists have frequently targeted and murdered civil servants like teachers.
Elected officials have also been accused of “collaboration” with the central government in Yaounde – a French-speaking establishment.
The army and cops are also accused of carrying out raids against those who they accuse of being pro-separatists.
In 2016, conflict began after President Paul Biya violently squashed peaceful demonstrations by Anglophones in both regions.
He has ruled Cameroon chillingly unchallenged for a whopping 42 years.
According to Human Rights Watch, over 6,000 innocent civilians have tragically lost their lives due to violent actions carried out by both government troops and rebel fighters since the conflict started.
