80 evacuated from E Guinea
2007-12-13 20:23
Yaounde - A group of 80 Cameroonians fleeing harassment by security forces and locals in Equatorial Guinea has been airlifted to Yaounde, state radio said on Thursday.
The people were among hundreds of Cameroonians who sought refuge in the consulate in Equatorial Guinea's second city of Bata to avoid violence sparked by two bloody bank heists eight days ago by gunmen who fled in speedboats to
Cameroon.
The Hercules C130 plane carrying the evacuees, most of
them women, arrived just before midnight. Many passengers
burst into tears or raised their fingers in signs of victory
on the tarmac, before testifying to beatings and robberies.
'Situation returning to normal'
About 300 others are still waiting in the Bata consulate
to be evacuated, Cameroonian authorities said. Diplomats from
Equatorial Guinean said the tensions were subsiding.
Equatorial Guinea's ambassador in Yaounde, Florence
Mangue Maye Ela, said: "We're happy that the situation is returning to normal.
"We're also happy that the two heads of state have resolved to guarantee the stability of relations and fraternity during this period."
Equatorial Guinean security forces had only targeted
foreigners living illegally without residence permits, she
said.
Did not have residency permits
Thousands of Cameroonians were forced to abandon their
homes and businesses and seek shelter in diplomatic premises
in Bata and the island capital Malabo after police backed by
the local population launched a crackdown on foreigners. Most
of them have now returned to their homes.
Cameroon's External Relations Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi
said most of those evacuated did not have residency permits
and plans were being finalised to return home the 300
Cameroonians without papers waiting at the Bata consulate.
Many returnees interviewed by local media told of violent
beatings and the loss of everything they owned.
- Reuters