Missionary Father Pierluigi Maccalli was kidnapped overnight in south Niger, near the border with Burkina Faso, allegedly by a group of jihadist militants. Father Maccalli of the Society of African Missions (SMA) is originally from the Diocese of the northern Italian town of Crema and had worked for years as a missionary in Ivory Coast before transferring to the parish of Bomoanga, in Niamey Diocese.
A witness said the 57-year-old-priest was kidnapped together with a local nun. The region has been struggling to defeat jihadist groups, including some affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State, which are active along Niger’s porous borders with both Mali and Burkina Faso. The Society of African Missions to which Father Maccalli belongs is an international community of Catholic missionaries who serve the people of Africa around the world.
The Bomoanga parish where Father Maccalli is serving is described as an isolated and neglected area because of the lack of roads, communications and infrastructure. Deeply committed to wed evangelization with the promotion of human dignity, Father Maccalli has always been attentive to local issues, sustaining micro-credit projects for development and opposing some traditional practices such as infibulation and female circumcision. According to local sources this could be the motive behind his kidnapping. The Italian Foreign Ministry is in contact with the priest’s family and is working on the case.
