Rebels kidnap 30 women in Cameroon

According to officials, the kidnappings occurred after residents protested against illegal taxes and militias imposed on the area's residents.

Cameroon devastated by civil war. Photo: AFP

A top official in the region said the women were abducted in Babanki, a village near the border with Nigeria. “We have reliable information that 10 women, mostly farmers, were tortured with guns and machetes,” Simon Emil Mooh said.

Mooh also said the militants were collecting monthly payments from children, women and men. They were taxing couples before they got married and forcing families to pay $1,000 if they wanted to bury their loved ones.

Separatist leader Capo Daniel said the women were kidnapped in mid-May. He said they were being punished for allowing themselves to be manipulated by the Cameroonian government.

Separatists in Cameroon launched an uprising in 2017. The separatists, who speak English, want to break away from the predominantly French-speaking region and create an independent English-speaking state.

The conflict has claimed more than 6,000 lives and forced more than 1 million people to flee their homes, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).

Trung Kien (according to AFP, AP, DW)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phien-quan-bat-coc-30-phu-nu-o-cameroon-post248886.html