Rebels kidnap 30 women in Cameroon

Separatist rebels kidnapped 30 women in northwestern Cameroon, the government said on Tuesday, the German DW reported.

The government added that the abductions came over protests against illegal taxes imposed on them by the insurgents.

The women were taken from Babanki, a village near the border with Nigeria, a top official in the area said.

“We have reliable information that 10 of the women, who are basically farmers and merchants, were tortured with guns and machetes,” Simon Emil Mooh said.

Mooh said the separatists were collecting monthly payments from children, women, and men. They were imposing taxes on couples before they got married, and forcing families to pay $1,000 to bury their relatives.

AMK/PR