A prominent Cameroonian traditional ruler who was kidnapped by Amazonian separatists in the country’s restive Northwest region has been released after spending 18 months in captivity, government officials said in a statement on Saturday.
The statement said the traditional ruler, Fon Kevin Shumitang, who is also the president of the Northwest region’s House of Chiefs and vice President of the Northwest Regional Assembly, was reportedly rescued by the military during a clash with the rebels during the week.
The statement stated that the military freed Shumitang from a separatist camp in Bui, in the Northwest region on Thursday morning while several fighters were killed in the encounter.
The Governor of the region, Deben Tchoffo, who confirmed the rescue of Shumitang in a statement on Saturday, said the traditional leader’s release showed that authorities were gradually restoring order after years of separatist unrest.
“I would like to congratulate military men that carried out the operation,” said Tchoffo.
“They have been able to take back the Fon of Bambalang. Indeed, it is coming to confirm that things are coming back bit by bit normally in almost all the major parts on the Northwest region,” he added.
According to Tchoffo, the traditional ruler was abducted from his palace in the town of Bambalang by the Amazonian fighters led by one of its commanders, General No Pity, on December 7, 2021.
However, one of the leaders of the Ambazonia Peoples Rights Advocacy Platform, Capo Daniel, in a separate statement, said Shumitang was not rescued by the military but was released by the group after months of negotiations.
“The Cameroon government arrested 15 family members of No Pity and transferred them to Yaounde,” Capo Daniel said.
“Both of them were used to pressurize No Pity to come to a compromise to release the Fon of Bambalang.
“That is exactly what happened. There was no military operation. The Fon was released and then handed over to the Cameroon authorities. We expect officials to release No Pity’s family members in the days ahead as agreed during negotiations.”