In Cameroon, Kidnappers abduct 90-year-old cleric

President of Cameroon Paul Biya attends a ceremony at The Great Hall Of The People in Beijing, China March 22, 2018. Lintao Zhang/Pool via Reuters/File Photo

A 90-year-old archbishop has been abducted with nearly a dozen other people in a western Cameroon region gripped by conflict between anglophone separatists and security forces, the archdiocese said on Friday.

Christian Tumi, an archbishop emeritus and retired cardinal who has frequently sought to mediate in the crisis, was kidnapped on Thursday near Kumbo in Northwest Region “along with his driver and about 10 other people,” Samuel Kleda, archbishop of the port city of Douala, said in a statement.

Anglophone militants have repeatedly carried out kidnappings, often for ransom, in the three-year-old conflict in the Northwest and neighbouring South-West Region.