Cameroonian President Paul Biya on Friday met with the visiting commander of French troops stationed in Gabon on security of the Gulf of Guinea, especially Bakassi Peninsula, where pirates took 10 oilmen hostages late last month.
During the meeting, French general Claude Reglat vowed to boost security in the region, saying a number of measures have been taken.
"We have a marine ship patrolling the region. We have an important warship stationed in Gabon which can respond to these actions throughout the Gulf of Guinea," he said, adding the French troops enjoy "direct cooperation on the ground with all sub-region African countries," including the navy of Gabon and Cameroon, "to help find solutions in this aspect."
The French commander arrived weeks after the Oct. 31 incident in which gunmen took hostages 10 crew members on board an oil vessel near Bakassi Peninsula.
The French Foreign Ministry said six French citizens were among the captives who also included Cameroonians and a Tunisian. The hostages were released on Nov. 11 by the so-called "Bakassi Freedom Fighters", who had threatened to kill the oilmen unless the authority agreed to hold autonomy talks with them.
Bakassi Peninsula, potentially rich in oil and gas resources, covers about 1,000 square kilometers. it was officially handed over to Cameroon in August 2008 by Nigeria, after a long-drawn border dispute that had seen the armies of the two countries clash on a number of occasions.
But insecurity has been reported in the peninsula with 21 people killed in two attacks by gunmen between November and June.
Source: Xinhua
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