Freed Chinese fishermen head to Yaounde
Chinese fishermen, who were released on Wednesday after spending six days in captivity, were on their way to Yaounde on Thursday, according to the AFP news agency. The seven fishermen were due to arrive around midday, after spending the night in Douala. They had been kidnapped off Cameroon’s Bakassi peninsula.
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It is not clear whether a ransom was paid. Cameroonian sources said a group called the Africa Marine Commando had demanded 11,000 euros to release them.
The Chinese ambassador Xue Jinwei told the Xinhua news agency that it had taken days of negotiation to secure the release.
The men were in good health, according to an earlier statement by a Chinese diplomat.
They were working for China's Dalian Beihai Fishing Company, which set up a base in Cameroon in 2004. They were in international waters when captured.
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