Boko Haram frees 27 hostages in Cameroon

Twenty-seven hostages seized by suspected militants from Boko Haram in Cameroon this year, including 10 Chinese workers, have been released, the Cameroon presidency said on Saturday. The Chinese workers were seized in May near the town of Waza, 20 km from the Nigerian border. Those freed include the wife of Cameroon’s vice-prime minister who was taken in July, the presidency said. The July kidnappings were carried out during two simultaneous assaults in which at least 15 people died.

Ten Chinese, the wife of the Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali, the Lamido [a local religious leader] of Kolofata, and the members of their families kidnapped with them are safe.

Statement by Cameroon President Paul Biya

Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people this year, mostly in northeastern Nigeria, although they have detonated bombs across Nigeria. The group made international headlines when it abducted around 200 Nigerian schoolgirls in April. Boko Haram has stepped up cross-border attacks into Cameroon this year. Cameroon has deployed troops to its northern region, joining international efforts to combat the militants.

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