A group of 30 women were kidnapped by pro-independence rebels nearly four days ago in western Cameroon, which has been bloodied for more than six years by a conflict between separatists from the English-speaking minority and the security forces.
They were severely tortured and abducted by armed terrorists in the village of Kedjom Keku, in the North West region, where armed separatist groups frequently kidnap civilians, mainly for ransom, government officials said.
The separatists are rebels demanding independence for the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, which they call ‘Ambazonia’ – populated mainly by the English-speaking minority of the predominantly French-speaking central African country.
The two English-speaking regions have been the scene of a deadly conflict since late 2016 between separatist rebels on one side and the army and police on the other, both sides being regularly accused by international NGOs and the UN of crimes against civilians.
The conflict has left more than 6,000 people dead and forced more than a million people to move out of the region.
