Armed men broke into the college dormitory and took 78 students and two administration staff with them. The incident occurred in a region where the country's English-speaking minority lives. It is not yet known who is responsible for the kidnapping.
"The kidnapping of pupils and staff of a school in Bamenda constitutes a further increase of tension in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon. Innocent children are made victims of a conflict for which they are in no way responsible. The European Union calls for them to be freed immediately and without conditions, and expresses its solidarity with the families of the kidnap victims," Maja Kocijancic, the European Commission's spokeswoman for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement.
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The UN Secretary-General also condemned the abduction of students and school staff, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
The criminal situation in Cameroon, including in its capital, has recently deteriorated due to an influx of refugees from different regions of the country. There is an increase of cases of banditry and robbery observed in areas previously considered prosperous, including in the vicinity of government agencies and diplomatic missions of foreign states.
