Cameroon opposition leader kidnapped again

Ni John Fru Ndi's SDF party is the main opposition to Cameroon President Paul Biya, who has ruled since 1982 (AFP Photo/SEYLLOU)

Yaoundé (AFP) - The chairman of Cameroon's main opposition party, Ni John Fru Ndi, was kidnapped again in the English speaking Northwest Region two months after an initial abduction, his party said Friday.

Kidnappers "entered his home in Ntarikon with weapons and shot his bodyguard point-blank" late in the day, a statement issued by Social Democratic Front (SDF) leader Jean Robert Wafo said.

Fru Ndi was seized when he went to investigate the intrusion, and was taken away, Wafo added.

On April 27, Fru Ndi, 77, was briefly detained in the restive region but was freed a few hours later.

He and the SDF have steadfastly opposed a division of Cameroon, but the party did not immediately blame English-speaking separatists for the abduction.

Kidnappings have multiplied in the region, and often target local political leaders, soldiers, police officers and civilians.

Conflict in Cameroon, a majority French-speaking nation, broke out in October 2017 when anglophone militants declared an independent state in the Northwest and Southwest Regions.

The separatists have targeted DRC officials and other SDF members in similar attacks.

In October 2018, Fru Ndi's home was attacked by arsonists and his sister kidnapped and later released.