A Canadian nun and two Italian priests have been freed after being abducted nearly two months ago by armed groups in northern Cameroon.
Gilberte Bussiere, who is originally from Asbestos, Que., along with Gianantonio Allegri and Giampaolo Marta were kidnapped from their Cameroon residences on April 5.
Bussiere, 74, had taught in Quebec for two decades before leaving for Cameroon in 1979. She has been working in the African country ever since.
Bussiere's congregation issued a statement on Sunday, welcoming the news of her release.
"It is with great joy that the Sisters of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame have learned, earlier this morning, of the release of Sister Gilberte Bussière and fathers Marta and Allegri," the statement said.
"Sister Gilberte is reportedly in good health and she has been taken to Yaoundé, where Sister Thelma Renaud, Leader of the Notre-Dame-des-Apôtres (Cameroon) Region of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame, will be welcoming her."
The congregation is expected to speak publicly about the Bussiere’s release on Monday.
The two priests who were kidnapped were assigned from the Vicenza diocese in northern Italy. The Italian Foreign Ministry thanked authorities in Canada and Cameroon for their assistance.
Bussiere's cousin Michel Belanger told CTV News that the entire family was overjoyed with relief when they learned about her release, saying they had “feared the worst.”
“It took enormous courage for her,” he told CTV News in a telephone interview on Sunday. “It’s certain her faith kept her strong.”
He said he's not sure when she will return to Canada, but thinks she may return tomorrow.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development also issued a statement on Sunday, stating it was "delighted and relieved" to hear the news.
"We thank the Cameroonian and Italian authorities for their assistance," said spokesperson Jean-Bruno Villeneuve.
"Canadian officials have been in regular contact with the family to provide assistance and to provide consular support to the Canadian citizen."
At the time the abductions had initially occurred, Vatican Radio said it hadn't ruled out the possibility that Boko Haram was behind the abduction.
The extremist Islamist group has most recently been linked to the kidnapping of more than 250 school girls in Nigeria.
According to terrorism expert John Thompson, vice president of intelligence with the Strategic Capital Intelligence Group, it is unlikely that “core” members of the group were involved in the kidnapping.
“If this really was a core Boko Haram operation, the hostages might have never been released because they would have been taken for ideological reasons,” he told CTV News Channel Sunday.
Thompson said while the terrorist organization has a “hard, jihadist” element similar to al-Qaeda and other extremist groups, it also has attracted many individuals who are generally on edge of the movement.
“Boko Haram has taken an awful lot of hangers-on…who claim to be acting in (the group’s) name,” Thompson told CTV News Channel on Sunday.
So far, little information has been released on why the three missionaries were released. Thomson said that if a ransom was paid, it is unlikely the individual or group responsible for the deal will step forward.
“It’s an incentive for someone who pays ransoms to keep it a secret because you just don’t want to keep paying ransoms every time one your people is kidnapped,” he said.
Pope Francis was informed of the news that the three missionaries had been released on Sunday, the Vatican said. Spokesperson Rev. Federico Lombardi said the Pope has following the case from the very beginning.
"We thank the Lord that this case reached a positive conclusion," Lombardi said, before adding a thought for others who have been abducted in conflict zones.
"At the same time, we continue to pray and commit ourselves so that every form of violence, hate and conflict in various regions of Africa and in other parts of the world can be overcome."
With a report from CTV News’ Omar Sachedina and files from The Canadian Press
