Burkina Faso: 83-year-old US nun kidnapped

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Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso

Photo: Ludivine Laniepce/ AP

A nun from the United States has been kidnapped in the West African crisis state of Burkina Faso.

The 83-year-old nun was abducted by heavily armed criminals in the village of Yalgo in the north-east of the country on Tuesday night, the Catholic Church said.

The nun Suellen Tennyson therefore belongs to the parish of Yalgo.

She has been there since October 2014.

The armed kidnappers reportedly vandalized the community's accommodation and attempted to seize the community's vehicle.

No one initially claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Crisis in Burkina Faso

With its 21 million inhabitants, Burkina Faso is in a crisis due to climate change and increasing Islamist terror.

Many militias, some of whom have sworn allegiance to "Islamic State" (IS) or al-Qaeda, operate across the borders of Mali and the Central African Republic.

Religious institutions have so far only been the target of isolated attacks.

Burkina Faso is considered one of the poorest countries in the world.

More than a million residents are considered internally displaced.

The military has ruled Burkina Faso since a coup in January.

hba/dpa/AFP