Pirates Release Russian Sailors Kidnapped in Mid-August Off Coast of Douala

September 23: On 23 September 2019, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that suspected pirates had released three Russian sailors whom they had kidnapped in August. The three sailors were released unharmed and have since returned to Russia. The attack occurred on 15 August, during which time the suspected pirates attacked two commercial vessels in waters off the coast of Douala and abducted an unspecified number of sailors. According to Cameroonian officials, the abducted sailors included Chinese, Ukrainian and Russian nationals. The status and whereabouts of the other sailors remain unknown at this time.

Source: GlobalSecur