YAOUNDE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen suspected to be separatist fighters have kidnapped nine villagers in Cameroon's restive Anglophone region of Northwest, locals and security sources said on Wednesday.
The gunmen invaded Tabenken village of the region on Tuesday night and abducted nine men at the Bondu neighborhood of the village, a security source in the region said.
"They took the villagers by surprise. The separatist terrorists came when villagers were about to go to bed. They forced the villagers out of their homes at gunpoint and then took the nine men away. We are pursuing them," the source told Xinhua.
Locals interviewed by Xinhua said there is panic in Tabenken village following the abduction.
Abduction for ransom is common in Cameroon's two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, where separatist fighters have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation. ■
