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French Cameroon hostages 'freed' | French Cameroon hostages 'freed' |
(35 minutes later) | |
Seven members of a French family abducted in Cameroon have been freed, officials in both countries have said. | |
Cameroon's Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary told the BBC said they were in good condition and unharmed. | |
The family, including four children, were abducted in February by gunmen on motorbikes after a visit to Waza National Park in northern Cameroon. | The family, including four children, were abducted in February by gunmen on motorbikes after a visit to Waza National Park in northern Cameroon. |
In a video published on YouTube, militants from the Nigerian group Boko Haram claimed to be holding them. | In a video published on YouTube, militants from the Nigerian group Boko Haram claimed to be holding them. |
The release of the hostages was also announced on national radio in Cameroon on Friday morning. | The release of the hostages was also announced on national radio in Cameroon on Friday morning. |
The statement from the presidency said they had been handed over to Cameroon authorities late on Thursday. | The statement from the presidency said they had been handed over to Cameroon authorities late on Thursday. |
According to the Associated Press news agency, both the Nigerian and French governments were thanked in the statement. | |
The French president's office confirmed the release and said that Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had immediately left for Cameroon to greet the family, the AFP news agency reports. | |
The family, who live in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, where the father worked for the French gas group Suez, had been returning from a holiday when they were kidnapped on 19 February. | The family, who live in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, where the father worked for the French gas group Suez, had been returning from a holiday when they were kidnapped on 19 February. |
In the YouTube video released about a week after their capture, the militants demanded the release of prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria. | In the YouTube video released about a week after their capture, the militants demanded the release of prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria. |