A Cameroonian official and five others were abducted Tuesday evening in the country’s war-torn English-speaking region of Northwest, according to local and security sources.

Nicholas Nkongho Manchang, the sub-prefect of Bamenda II, a subdivision of the region, was kidnapped at gunpoint with five other individuals in Ntumbaw village, a local security official said.

“The sub-prefect and the other officials were traveling by road to attend an official ceremony in another town when they were stopped and taken to an unknown destination. We are actively searching for them. There was no military convoy with the sub-prefect at the time of the abduction,” the official who asked not to be named said Tuesday night.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Separatist fighters have been active in the region since 2017 after they began clashing with government forces in a bid to create an independent region in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest.

Source: Xinhuanet