Italian priest kidnapped in Niger shown in jihadist video: report

An Italian priest who was kidnapped in Niger in September 2018 has been seen in a jihadist video, according to a newspaper report, in the first proof of life since his abduction.

The report in the Air Info newspaper, which did not release the 23-second video, was illustrated by a screenshot showing 59-year-old Catholic priest Pier Luigi Maccalli wearing grey clothes and with a long white beard.

Thomas Codjovi, communications officer for the Catholic mission in Niger, said that until now they had no evidence that the priest was still alive.

"We recognised Luigi in the photo published by Air Info," he told AFP, adding he had not seen the video.

"If this information is true, it is heartening to know that he is alive," he said.

The priest was seized in September 2018 in the southwest village of Bamoanga, near the border with Burkina Faso, by armed men on motorcycles.

Niger, a large and poor country in West Africa, has become a target for recurring jihadist attacks from neighbouring Nigeria and especially in areas in the west that lie close to the border with Mali and Burkina Faso.

It is predominantly Muslim with Christians making up 1-2 percent of the population and relations between the communities are generally good.