John Fru Ndi, the leader of Cameroon’s main opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) who was taken hostage by suspected Anglophone secessionists on Saturday morning, has rejected their demand for the resgnation of members of his party from the country’s parliament, according to a video gaining currency on social media.
Mr. Fru Ndi was abducted in the locality of Kumbo (North-West) by suspected English-speaking secessionists, while in the company of the president of the parliamentary group.
The video footage which lasts a few seconds, shows the captive, who was finally released after about four hours, facing his captors who ask him to make a solemn declaration, demanding the mass resignation of his party’s parliamentarians from the National Assembly and the Senate.
“I cannot ask them to resign” he says, facing the suspected secessionists.
Since he was released, the leader of the SDF has not officially explained the circumstances attending to his abduction.
His party has promised to issue a statement on the issue.
Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis, which began in October 2016 with protests and demands from lawyers and teachers degenerated into an armed struggle for the independence of the North West and South West regions.
The conflict has already left scores dead, including civilians, separatists and government troops, and forced thousands of other people into exile in neighbouring Nigeria or displaced inside Cameroon.
FCEB/cd/gg/as/APA