The dreaded Boko Haram Islamic rebel group is believed to have turned its ire on Chinese workers in Northern Cameroon after it reportedly abducted 10 workers deployed at a road construction site on Friday.

State news agency Xinhua reported that the Chinese Embassy in Yaounde has confirmed Friday's attack on the work site of Chinese construction firm Sinohydro, which was repairing roads in Cameroon near the border town of Waza.

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The work site is 20 kilometers away from a forest stronghold of the Boko Haram Islamic rebel group.

Initial reports that reached the Chinese Embassy in Yaounde on Friday said power was cut off around the site, followed by a gunfight that lasted about five hours.

Authorities are investigating Cameroon radio reports that said the rebels killed a Cameroon soldier, took away 10 Chinese workers, and drove off on 10 vehicles owned by Sinohydro.

Chinese embassy officials appealed to Cameroon authorities to ensure the safety of the abducted Chinese workers in the event of a rescue operation to release them from their captors.

The embassy also reminded Chinese companies operating around the Boko Haram stronghold to take all necessary precaution to ensure their workers' safety.

Aside from the Sinohydro construction firm, a Chinese Petroleum company is also in the area undertaking oil exploration activities.

US-led foreign troops have begun operations against the Boko Haram to free more than a hundred girls that the Islamic separatist rebels abducted from a school in Nigeria last month.

French President Francois Hollande told country representatives at a summit in Paris on Saturday that the Boko Haram has become a serious threat to regional peace and order, and urged countries to pool their resources together to stump out the rebel group.

Nigeria has accused Cameroon of not doing enough to secure its region in the far north which it said the Boko Haram rebels were using as a transit point for weapons.

Cameroon earlier promised to deploy 700 soldiers to the far north border region to help contain the activities of the Boko Haram Islamic militants.

TagsBoko Haram, Nigeria, Cameroon