American nun who went missing from her bed in Burkina Faso found alive five months later

The West Africa country has seen a rise in violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in recent years

An 83-year-old Catholic nun who was kidnapped from her bed in Burkina Faso five months ago has been found alive, according to church officials.

The bishop for Kaya, a Burkina Faso city and diocese, said on Wednesday that she was found safe and well and in safe hands, as per the Associated Press.

Bishop Theophile Nare said: “For the moment we have no information on the conditions of her release but we express our profound gratitude to those who worked toward it”.

He added that “Sister Suellen (Tennyson) is currently in a safe place and in good health”.

Ms Tennyson was abducted by armed men in the middle of the night on 4 April from a missionary in Yalgo, Burkina Faso, where she had been since 2014.

Two other nuns — one from Canada and another from Burkina Faso — were not taken or harmed in the abduction.

An FBI kidnapping alert was issued for Ms Tennyson prior to her reported handover on Monday in Niamey, the capital of neighbouring Niger.

Sister Ann Lacour, US congregational leader for the Marianites of Holy Cross, told church newspaperClarion Herald that Ms Tennyson was “totally worn out” by the five month long ordeal.

“I told her how much people love her, and she doesn’t have anything to worry about. I told her, ‘You are alive and safe. That’s all that matters,’” Ms Lacour said.

Burkina Faso has seen increasing levels of violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group over the past six years, with militants conducting kidnappings of foreigners for ransom to fund their activities.

Kouka Ouedraogo, a priest in Kaya who had worked with Ms Tennyson, told the Associated Press that her release was “a great joy for all our parish” but voiced safety concerns going forward.

“We are still concerned about the security situation and kidnapping in the region,” he said. “We are even more concerned as the situation keeps on deteriorating in the zone with many displaced people fleeing into Kaya.”

Recent kidnapping incidents include that of an Italian missionary couple and their child, a  Togolese domestic worker, a French journalist, and an American aid worker who remains in captivity.

Ms Tennyson previously worked in the New Orleans archdiocese for many years after working as a teacher and principal at Louisiana elementary and high schools, according to Nola.