Gunmen kidnap priests

KINSHASA: Gunmen in restive eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo kidnapped two Catholic priests in an area at the centre of over two years of massacres by unknown assailants, the country’s conference of bishops said on Monday.

Charles Kipasa and Jean-Pierre Akilimali were taken from Our Lady of the Angels parish in Bunyuka by a group of around 10 assailants just before 10pm local time on Sunday.

“Priests are men of God who devote their lives to the good of the population without a political agenda. To hurt them is to harm the community they serve,” the National Episcopal Conference of Congo said.