fredvloo wrote:
Pirates swarmed aboard an oil industry supply vessel working off the coast of Cameroon and kidnapped 10 crewmen, including seven French nationals. It happened overnight near an oil terminal in Cameroonian waters off the Bakassi Peninsula, which juts into the Gulf of Guinea from the Nigerian border.
A spokesman said: along with the seven French crew, a Tunisian and two Cameroonians were taken, he said. No-one was thought to have been hurt in the raid, and the five remaining sailors have been safely recovered.
A diplomat in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde confirmed the attack, adding that the ship was working under contract for the French oil giant Total. A company source said Total was holding a crisis meeting in Paris.
According to the diplomat, the attack took place near the Bakassi Peninsula, on Cameroon's border with Nigeria, and bore the hallmarks of raids carried out by Nigerian pirates operating in the Niger Delta oilfields.
Ten hostages held aboard a hijacked ship off Cameroon Friday will be killed within 72 hours if the government does not agree to talks, a Cameroon rebel group said in a statement.
"The 10 are in our hands. If you don't tell the government of Cameroon to come here and discuss with us, we will kill them all in three days," the Bakassi Freedom Fighters said in a telephoned statement
Hi Fed
Happy ending to this one -
http://www.moneybiz.co.za/africa/africa.asp?story=a2d8bc20-05db-48da-89e4-2cefc74e36edEx-hostages fly home after ordeal
Updated: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:03
PARIS - Seven French oil workers and a Tunisian abducted from a ship off the coast of Cameroon returned to France today after Paris negotiated a peaceful end to their 12-day ordeal.
The eight former hostages were greeted at a Paris airport by human rights minister Rama Yade, their families and the ambassadors of Tunisia and Cameroon, a day after their release.
"This is a happy ending for the families and the hostages are in good health," said Yade.
The eight hostages and two Cameroonian co-workers were seized by gunmen who stormed aboard an oil field support ship operated by the French company Bourbon off the coast of Cameroon's Bakassi Peninsula on October 31.
French diplomatic sources said Paris held negotiations with the hostage-takers to secure the release of the 10 but that no ransom was paid and no security operation took place.
The kidnappers from a group called the Bakassi Freedom Fighters (BFF) were apparently allowed to walk free after they released the hostages, who had been held in an unknown location on land.
The BFF is opposed to Cameroon's takeover of the Bakassi Peninsula from Nigeria, which handed control this year after a 15-year dispute settled under international arbitration.
After initially threatening to kill the hostages one by one, the BFF withdrew the threat and insisted the crew was well-treated.
President Nicolas Sarkozy expressed relief at the release and the government thanked the Cameroonian government for its role.
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said: "This event reminds us of the urgent necessity for the international community to fight against maritime piracy."
The two Cameroonian workers were to be reunited with their families, the Bourbon group said.
Regards
Topic: 10 crewmen Bourbon Sagitta threatened to be killed (Read 3189 times)