Nun kidnapped by Mali militants in 2017 freed

Sister Gloria was working near border when kidnapped

AFranciscan nun from Colombia kidnapped by militants in Mali in 2017 was freed Saturday, Mali’s presidency said.

Sister Gloria Cecilia Narvaez was taken hostage on Feb. 7, 2017 in southern Mali near the border with Burkina Faso where she had been working as a missionary for six years. A statement on the presidential Twitter account paid tribute to her “courage and bravery” along with photos of the nun taken after her release.

“I thank the Malian authorities, the president, all the Malian authorities, for all the efforts you’ve made to liberate me, may God bless you, may God bless Mali,” Sister Gloria said in images broadcast on state television showing her with Mali’s interim president Colonel Assimi Goita and the archbishop of Bamako Jean Zerbo.

Studied the Holy Quran

A source close to the negotiations to release her told she had not been ill-treated during her captivity and during that time she had learnt the Holy Quran.

In Colombia, national police director Jorge Luis Vargas welcomed news of Sister Gloria’s release. Vargas said meetings had been held with several European and African ambassadors to try to secure the nun’s release.

“With Interpol, and with other international organisations, we have always sought to bring those responsible to justice,” he said.

AFP This grab from a video provided by the SITE Intelligence Group taken on 2017 shows Colombian nun Gloria Cecilia Narvaez Argoti held by Al Qaida’s Mali group.