Kidnapped French Family Released, Fabius Heads to Cameroon

A French family of seven kidnapped by Islamic extremists in Cameroon in February have been freed and are in the hands of officials in the central African state, President Paul Biya said.

Biya made the announcement in a statement read on national radio which said the hostages -- a father, mother, four children aged 5 to 12, and an uncle -- had been "handed over last night to Cameroonian authorities.”

The hostages were seized by the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram on February 19 while visiting a national park in northern Cameroon.

They are believed to have then been taken over the border into Nigeria's restive northeast.

The French president's office said Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had immediately left for Cameroon to greet the family.

"They are all healthy and have gone back to Yaounde (Cameroon capital)," it said.

"I spoke to the family on the phone. They are extremely happy and in good shape," Fabius said.

Boko Haram last month ran an audio recording of Tanguy Moulin-Fournier, the father, in which he seemingly asked President Biya to free detained members of the al-Qaida-linked group.

Boko Haram is believed to include a number of factions with various interests and shifting demands.

The group has in the past called for the creation of an Islamic state in Nigeria, where corruption is deeply rooted and most of the population lives on less than $2 per day despite its vast oil reserves.