YAOUNDE, Sept. 1– A total of 11 villagers who were kidnapped five days ago in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region of Northwest were released late Sunday, according to security sources and locals.
All 11 victims were boys. They were abducted in Tabenken, a village in the Northwest Region, which, along with the Southwest Region, is home to most English speakers in the central African country.
“We initially thought only nine boys had been abducted, but after further investigation, we found that 11 had been kidnapped.
Some were released on Friday and the rest on Sunday. We still do not know if ransom was paid. The boys suffered psychological trauma, and we hope to help them recover,” a security source who requested anonymity told Xinhua by phone on Sunday.
Local authorities said the boys were abducted by separatist fighters who have been active in the country’s two English-speaking regions since 2017.
The regions have witnessed increasing clashes between government forces and armed separatists despite repeated calls by the United Nations for a cease-fire and inclusive dialogue.
The separatists seek to establish an independent state in the two Anglophone regions of the largely French-speaking country. (Xinhua)
