A Polish Catholic missionary has been kidnapped by armed men in the Central African Republic. The captors are asking for the release of their leader, who was abducted in 2013, in exchange for the priest’s freedom.
Mateusz Dziedzic, a CAR missionary, was taken by a rebel group on Oct. 12.
“They said they wanted to exchange the kidnapped missionary for their leader, who is currently imprisoned in Cameroon,” said Tomasz Atlas, head of Poland’s Pontifical Mission Societies.
The leader is Abdoulaye Miskine, who was arrested in Cameroon in September 2013.
The rebel group has taken about a dozen Central African Republic citizens. They also tried to take another priest with Dziedzic but failed.
Polish foreign ministry spokesman Marcin Wojciechowski said Dziedzic is being treated well.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up an emergency team, which is in ongoing contact with the Polish Episcopal Conference’s Commission for Missions,” a ministry statement said.
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