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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Boko Haram unrest: Cameroon 'frees German hostage' | Boko Haram unrest: Cameroon 'frees German hostage' |
| (less than a minute earlier) | |
| Cameroon says its military has freed a German hostage kidnapped in Nigeria by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. | Cameroon says its military has freed a German hostage kidnapped in Nigeria by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. |
| Robert Nitsch Eberhard, a teacher, was abducted in July 2014 in Nigeria's Adamawa State by the group, Cameroon's government said. | Robert Nitsch Eberhard, a teacher, was abducted in July 2014 in Nigeria's Adamawa State by the group, Cameroon's government said. |
| He was freed in a "special operation of the Cameroon armed forces and security services of friendly countries". | He was freed in a "special operation of the Cameroon armed forces and security services of friendly countries". |
| Boko Haram has seized control of towns and villages in north-east Nigeria and launched raids into Cameroon. | Boko Haram has seized control of towns and villages in north-east Nigeria and launched raids into Cameroon. |
| It is not clear which countries contributed to the operation to free Mr Robert. | It is not clear which countries contributed to the operation to free Mr Robert. |
| 'Happy to be alive' | 'Happy to be alive' |
| The former hostage arrived in Yaounde in the company of Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, a senior official in the presidency, the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah reports from Cameroon's capital. | The former hostage arrived in Yaounde in the company of Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, a senior official in the presidency, the BBC's Randy Joe Sa'ah reports from Cameroon's capital. |
| They were received at the airport by several ministers and the German ambassador. | They were received at the airport by several ministers and the German ambassador. |
| Officials would not say how he was released, except to mention their gratitude to the military, our reporter says. | Officials would not say how he was released, except to mention their gratitude to the military, our reporter says. |
| Boko Haram at a glance | Boko Haram at a glance |
| Who are Boko Haram? | Who are Boko Haram? |
| Why Nigeria has not defeated Boko Haram | Why Nigeria has not defeated Boko Haram |
| The freed man said he was pleased to be alive and safe and had spent long hours in the dark, unable to move because of death threats. | The freed man said he was pleased to be alive and safe and had spent long hours in the dark, unable to move because of death threats. |
| "I am happy to see all these people who rescued me and made sure I survived," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. | "I am happy to see all these people who rescued me and made sure I survived," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. |
| Germany's Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told the AP news agency that a crisis team had been working on the case for months and thanked the Cameroon government for its "very good and trusting" co-operation. | Germany's Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer told the AP news agency that a crisis team had been working on the case for months and thanked the Cameroon government for its "very good and trusting" co-operation. |
| Boko Haram has recently launched several attacks on Cameroon. | Boko Haram has recently launched several attacks on Cameroon. |
| Suspected Boko Haram militants were believed to have kidnapped dozens of people in a cross-border raid near Mokolo city in Cameroon's Far North region on Sunday. | Suspected Boko Haram militants were believed to have kidnapped dozens of people in a cross-border raid near Mokolo city in Cameroon's Far North region on Sunday. |
| Some were later freed as Cameroon's forces pursued the attackers who were fleeing back to Nigeria. | Some were later freed as Cameroon's forces pursued the attackers who were fleeing back to Nigeria. |
| Previous kidnappings in Cameroon blamed on Boko Haram have been more targeted - with high-profile people or foreigners reportedly taken for ransom. | Previous kidnappings in Cameroon blamed on Boko Haram have been more targeted - with high-profile people or foreigners reportedly taken for ransom. |