US special forces rescue hostage thought to be Louisiana nun, 83, who was kidnapped in Burkina Faso five months ago
- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley revealed on Tuesday that Special Operations forces ‘recovered another hostage’
- Military officials have not yet confirmed who the hostage was
- But almost immediately after the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans announced that Sister Suellen Tennyson, 83, had been freed
- She was taken by a group of 10 unknown gunmen at her convent in Burkina Faso, where she was serving as a missionary, helping malnourished children
- Tennyson is now back in US custody and her fellow Marianite nuns are working with the FBI to ‘facilitate the re-entry process’ to the US
United States Special Forces are thought to have rescued a Louisiana nun who was kidnapped by armed gunmen in Burkina Faso five months ago.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley first revealed on Tuesday that Special Operations forces ‘recovered another hostage’ as he spoke at a ceremony to mark the turnover of the Special Forces Command from Army Gen. Richard Clarke to Army Gen. Bryan Fenton.
Almost immediately after, both the Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and Bishop Theophile, of the Kaya Diocese in Burkina Faso, announced that Sister Suellen Tennyson, 83, had been freed.
She was taken hostage by a group of unknown gunmen back in April. The area is known to be a hotbed militant groups like ISIS and al Qaeda.
Military officials have not yet confirmed Tennyson is the hostage who was freed by Special Operations forces, but NOLA.com reports, she is now in US custody in Niamey — the capital of Niger.
Her fellow Marianite nuns have since posted on Facebook that they are working with the FBI ‘to facilitate the re-entry process’ back to the US.
Sister Suellen Tennyson, 83, left, was released from captivity earlier this week
The announcement that she was free came shortly after Gen. Mark Milley revealed that US Special Operations forces ‘recovered another hostage’
Tennyson, a Louisiana native, has been working as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2014, providing aid to starving and malnourished children in the area.
She was abducted by a group of at least 10 unknown gunmen the night of April 4 from her convent in Yalgo, where she was living in a community with other religious women, according to WDSU.
Tennyson had been sleeping when the men burst in and ransacked the facility, Marianite Sister Ann Lacour wrote in a newsletter at the time.
‘They destroyed almost everything in the house, shot holes in the new truck and tried to burn it,’ she said. ‘The house itself is OK, but its contents are ruined.’
Lacour added that she was told by two of the younger women that Tennyson was taken directly from her bed with ‘no glasses, shoes, phone, medicine, etc.’
In the aftermath, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M Aymond issued a statement calling for her safe return.
‘For many years, Sr. Suellen ministered to the people of the Archdiocese of New Orleans with great job,’ he said at the time. ‘Today, we express our sadness and shock at her abduction, and offer our prayers for her safe return.’
There had been no news about her whereabouts since, but on Tuesday, Lacour told the Clarion Herald, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, that Tennyson ‘is safe.’
‘She’s totally worn out,’ said Lacour, a US congressional leader for the order of the Marianites of the Holy Cross.
‘I told her how much people love her, and she doesn’t have anything to worry about,’ Lacour continued. ‘I told her, “You are alive and safe. That’s all that matters.”‘
Lacour noted that she was awaiting a full health assessment at the time, before she could return to the United States.
‘Thanks be to God,’ the Archdiocese posted on Facebook Tuesday night.
Tennyson has been serving as a missionary in Burkina Faso since 2014, providing aid to starving and malnourished children in the area
Prior to her voyage to Africa, Tennyson taught and served as a principal at several Louisiana Catholic schools
She is now in US custody in Nigeria, where she is staying while her fellow Marianite nuns work with the FBI ‘to facilitate the re-entry process’ back to the US
Prior to her voyage to Africa, Tennyson taught and served as a principal at several Louisiana Catholic schools.
She eventually became the superior general for the worldwide Marianite order, but said she only found her calling after Bishop Thomas Kabore invited Marianite nuns in 2014 to establish a parish and help run the newly built Blessed John Paul II Center.
But in recent years, violence in the area was growing amid increasing political turmoil — and the city of Yalgo, where Tennyson was stationed, bordered an area where armed groups were particularly active and attacks against civilians have increased.
The area has been targeted by Islamic extremists back in June, Voice of America reports, and has become a hotbed for al Qaeda and ISIS operations.
Eventually, NOLA.com reports, the Marianites encouraged Tennyson to return home, but her sense of spiritual duty compelled her to stay.
Source: Read Full Article