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| - A traditional chief in a troubled anglophone region of Cameroon was freed on Tuesday five days after being kidnapped along with a Catholic cardinal, top officials said. Sehm Mbinglo, the traditional head or Fon of a monarchical realm near Kumbo in Cameroon's Northwest region, had been held with five other people by separatists who want to create an independent state called Ambazonia. Ninety-year-old retired cardinal Christian Tumi, the archbishop emeritus of the port city of Douala, was freed the day after the kidnapping Thursday. Tumi has frequently sought to mediate in the separatist crisis in the central African country. "The Fon was freed with the five other people who were held with him," a top official of the Ngo-Ketunjia department, where the abduction took place, told AFP. "I met the chief. He seemed in good health but must undergo a medical check before returning to his royal seat," he said, adding that the army was not involved in his release. "Everything happened between the abductors, the hostages and their relatives," he said, without elaborating. The report was confirmed by another top official in the Mbui department where Mbinglo rules. The country's Northwest and Southwest regions have been gripped by conflict since separatists declared independence in 2017 after decades of grievances at perceived discrimination by the francophone majority. The separatists have carried out many abductions, often releasing their captives in exchange for ransoms. Some have been executed, notably members of the security forces, teachers or civilians accused of collaborating with the central government. Schools in the region have been targeted in recent days, with several pupils and teachers abducted and then released under pressure from local people. rek/amt/gd/ach
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