Gloria Narváez, Colombian nun kidnapped by jihadists in Africa, freed

This Saturday, October 9, the presidency of Mali announced that the Colombian nun Gloria Narváez, kidnapped since 2017 by a jihadist group linked to Al-Qaeda, has been released.

“Release this October 9 of the Colombian nun Gloria NARVAEZ. She was kidnapped on February 7, 2017 in Karangasso, in the Koutiala circle on the Mali-Burkina Faso border. The Presidency of Mali salutes the courage and bravery of the sister “, trilled the Presidency of Mali.

He also published some photographs of the Colombian nun at large.

“The Presidency of Mali salutes the courage and bravery of the nun. This publication is the culmination of four years and eight months of combined efforts by various intelligence services.”, Said the presidency of the African country in a statement.

On July 8, a letter the nun wrote to her relatives was revealed. Edgar Narváez, brother of the nun, received the brief message given to him by the International Red Cross. The handwritten letter gave hope to religious communities and her family, who for years have called for the liberation of women.

“Receive my fraternal greetings. May the good Lord bless you and give you health. I was kidnapped for four years and now I’m part of a new group. Pray a lot for me. God bless you. I hope God helps me get freedom. Fraternally, Gloria “wrote the captive nun.

Gloria Cecilia Narváez was part of a group of missionaries, four from Colombia and one from Burkina Faso, in a village of Karangasso, helping the sick and needy. On February 7, 2017, during the night, a group of armed men broke into their camp in search of money.

The nuns said they did not collect any money and asked who the leader was. Apparently they were trying to kidnap another woman, but Cecilia Narváez offered to be the leader of the congregation and was taken by the extremists to an unknown location.

Gloria Cecilia is originally from Pasto, Nariño, and belonged to the Congregation of the Franciscanas de María Inmaculada. He was near Koutiala, half a kilometer from the Malian capital, at the time of the kidnapping.

On July 1, 2017, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and posted a video of the nun, which they accused of false actions in this area of ​​Africa.

In January 2018, the nun appeared in a video, a survival test sent by the terrorist group, in which she asks Pope Francis to intervene for her freedom. In the current statement, Al Qaeda He accused the Vatican and the Colombian government of not making an effort to negotiate that would lead to his release.

Under the governments of Juan Manuel Santos and Iván Duque, missions were carried out to secure their release, which finally took place on October 9.

The kidnapping has been a source of lucrative money for Islamist groups in the Sahel region of West Africa, where they are waging a sprawling insurgency against national armies, French forces and United Nations peacekeepers. . .

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