Menacing video surfaces showing French family kidnapped by Boko Haram
A French family kidnapped by Islamic militants in Cameroon has shown up in a video last week. Their captors claim to be members of Boko Haram, a Nigerian terrorist group.
A video of a French family kidnapped in Cameroon has surfaced this week on Youtube.
The video, which appeared on the website Monday, shows two men, four children and one woman, in a tent surrounded by masked gunmen.
The family was snatched by men on motorbikes on their way back from the Waza National Park.
They live in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, where the father had worked for the French oil company Suez, said BBC.
The gunmen claim to be part of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which is the Arabic name for the Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, reported Voice of America.
There is no confirmation that the gunmen are actually a part of the militant group.
In the video, the men demand the release of Boko Haram prisoners in Cameroon and Nigeria.
It is unclear where the video was taken but the French foreign ministry believe the hostages were taken to Nigeria, reported AFP.
The Daily Mail said that the kidnappings were a part of the unrest caused by France's military intervention in Mali.
The newspaper said that 15 French citizens are currently being held hostage by Islamic militants in West Africa.
Over 1000 people have died in Nigeria from Boko Haram bombing and shooting attacks since 2009.
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