Yaounde - Cameroonian gendarmerie has captured more than 200 suspected kidnappers in Adamawa and North regions of the country, a security officer said on Monday.
The suspects are specialized in kidnapping for ransom, theft of livestock and armed robbery in the regions, said Colonel David Nyong Fry, commander of the Cameroonian Gendarmerie in the North region.
He said some captives were freed during the operation that has been going on for nearly two months, adding that the majority of the kidnappers were arrested in the remote areas of the region thanks to the "collaboration of the population."
"We will continue to search and arrest more kidnappers," Fry said.
"When the population is faced with the phenomenon of kidnapping for ransom, there is unrest in the locality. So when we carry out such operations, they give us their full support."
Some 300 kidnappings and 5 000 cows stolen were reported in Adamawa over a period of three years, and at least 2 billion CFA francs (about 3.4 million US dollars) was estimated to have been paid as ransom, security officials said in February.
The situation prompted President Paul Biya to deploy special forces to restore peace and order in the regions.