Cameroon frees 13 hostages kidnapped by Boko Haram

As many as thirteen young hostages abducted two weeks ago in northern Cameroon by Boko Haram militants have been released and brought back to Maroua, the capital of the Far North region.

The group included 10 Cameroonian students and three Chadian nationals, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

Their rescue was carried out by the country’s defence forces alongside the elite Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR).

“11 other hostages had been taken deep into Nigeria. But thanks to the joint effort by our armed forces, the BIR, gendarmerie and the safety committees, and even the population, everyone has played their part, and we have freed them,” said Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the Far North.

One teenager did not survive the ordeal. Nineteen-year-old Bryan Bessala was killed by the kidnappers after a ransom demand could not be met in time.

Despite raising almost six million CFA francs within 24 hours, the local community’s efforts proved too late. The young man had been abducted along with his four siblings while travelling on a bus after returning from holiday.

In Yaoundé, his mother, Nga Annie, expressed gratitude for the safe return of her other children but pleaded with authorities to recover her eldest son’s body.

“For the one who is not here anymore, I am still asking the government to give me his body, which was not found, so that I can grieve him,” she said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev