Cameroon has freed two journalists working for the BBC who had been detained by the military for six days on suspicion of spying in the disputed, oil-rich Bakassi peninsula.
South African Farouk Chothia, a producer with the BBC’s African service and a former Mail & Guardian journalist, and Ange Ngu Thomas, a local reporter working for the BBC, were released from house arrest in the West African country’s Atlantic Coast town of Limbe on Friday evening, said Jean-Davis Mihamle, another BBC correspondent in Cameroon.
The BBC said the two were covering the upcoming Nigerian withdrawal from the peninsula and had been travelling with the knowledge of the Cameroon authorities.
They were detained by the military on Sunday while working in the peninsula and accused by authorities of spying.
Cameroon officials said the two were detained after they were seen taking pictures of military installations.
Bakassi, a heavily militarised, petroleum-rich peninsula, has been the subject of deadly territorial battles between Cameroon and neighbouring Nigeria.
Nigeria is due to withdraw from the peninsula by September 15 under a 2002 ruling by the International Court of Justice.
Neither of the two journalists could be reached for comment on Saturday, but Mihamle said they were both in good health. — Sapa-AP