French priest speaks of boring captivity after being kidnapped in Cameroon
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Version 0 of 1. A French Catholic priest released on Monday after being kidnapped in northern Cameroon said that he had spent the weeks he was held captive pacing his tent prison, torn by a mixture of boredom and anger. Georges Vandenbeusch, 42, was kidnapped on 13 November. His seizure was one of a series of attacks on French targets in Africa since France launched a military intervention in Mali in January to oust al-Qaida Islamists who had forged links with militants from the Nigerian sect Boko Haram. Vandenbeusch had chosen to remain in northern Cameroon, a zone where Boko Haram is known to operate. Arriving at the airport in the capital Yaounde, the priest, looking tired and dressed all in white, thanked the authorities in Cameroon, France and Nigeria for his release. "I am in good health and so grateful to those who worked for my release," he told reporters before being taken to the French embassy. "[It was] terribly boring. I spent seven weeks with nothing to do, pacing in circles in my tent under a tree without a book to read or a person to talk to." He said he had felt sadness and anger at his kidnapping because he is very attached to the residents of the parish where he works, Christians, animists and Muslims alike. "I was quite sure that many people were thinking of me, were working and praying for everything to turn out alright," he said. The French president, François Hollande, thanked the authorities in Cameroon and Nigeria for their work in securing the release and highlighted the "personal involvement" of Cameroonian president, Paul Biya. France said it had not paid any ransom to secure Vandenbeusch's release. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |