YAOUNDE, June 2 (Xinhua) -- About 12 people, including 10 passengers on a bus, were kidnapped early Tuesday by suspected separatist fighters in Cameroon's Northwest Region, where an armed separatist conflict is ongoing, according to locals and security sources.
The bus left the locality of Ndop and was heading to Bamenda, the region's chief town, when it was intercepted by gunmen.
"The separatist terrorists stopped the bus in the Sabga locality and kidnapped 10 passengers, including the driver. Two individuals who witnessed the incident were also abducted. They took them into the bush and started demanding a huge ransom," a security source in the region told Xinhua by phone.
Movement along the highway has been halted, and a search operation for the hostages has been launched, according to local authorities.
Kidnappings for ransom are common in Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, where separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017, seeking to establish a new nation. ■