3R Rebels On Kidnap Mission Arrested In Cameroon

Two combatants of the Central African Republic (CAR) Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation (3R) rebel movement suspected to be on a kidnap mission to Cameroon have been arrested in Ngaoundere, regional chief town of the Adamawa region of Cameroon.

The two 3R members were arrested by elements of the Adamawa legion of the national gendarmerie and on interrogation revealed the identities of four of their accomplices working with various councils in Ngaoundere municipality who were also arrested. The six persons were arrested on  Monday Sept. 6.

The two initial suspects; a CAR citizen of Nigerian descent, Hamadou Bouba who is a captain within the 3R movement, and CAR citizen of Cameroonian descent, Mahmadou Abdelaziiz, were arrested while living among the population on forged identification documents.

“These individuals were arrested in Bali quarter, Ngaoundere following intelligence given by the local population,” said Col. Jean-Pierre Kagombe Keffiene, the Commander of the Adamawa legion of the national gendarmerie.

“The exploitation of the two enabled elements of the bureau for the fight against grand criminality of the Adamawa legion to arrest four other persons.”

The arrested rebels were in possession of Cameroonian national identity cards, educational certificates, marriage certificates supposedly signed by the relevant authorities in Ngaoundere, and other documents which enabled them to move freely in the country.

All their identification documents were fake and they were eventually discovered to have been forged with the help of the four accomplices working with the various councils within the Ngaoundere municipality, the commander said.

Upon interrogation, the security services discovered that the two 3R rebels were in the country on a mission to kidnap innocent citizens and subsequently demand huge ransoms for their release.

Kidnappings for ransom had been very rampant within the three northern regions of Cameroon and after intensive security operations, the phenomenon has of recent been on the decline.

“The phenomenon of hostage taking which was decried in the region had been on the decline after serious actions against it by security forces,”  Kildadi Taguieke Boukar, the governor of Adamawa region said recently.

“Today, the phenomenon is no longer very perceptible because statistics indicate that no individual from Adamawa has been taken hostage for a long time now. We have, thanks to the exploits and combined efforts of the forces of law and order, vigilante committees, and the administrative authorities being able to curb it.”