Cameroonian separatists kill 17, injure 65 in southwestern border area

DOUALA, Cameroon

Cameroonian separatists killed 17 people and injured 65 others between Sunday and Monday in two localities of southwest Cameroon, bordering Nigeria, an official said.

“At least 17 people were killed and 65 others injured when separatist terrorists attacked the localities of Kajifu and Obonyi located in the district of Akwaya, Manyu department, in the southwest region of Cameroon,” Ekwalle Martin Ekwalle, mayor of the township of Akwaya, told Anadolu Agency on Tuesday.

In this bilingual country of Central Africa, Anglophone minority inhabits the Northwest and Southwest regions, which are in the grip of a separatist crisis since 2016.

“The terrorists attacked homes as well as churches where people gathered for Sunday services. The terrorists opened fire at people when they resisted their bid to kidnap some of the locals,” Ekwalle added.

The residents of the area fled to the locality of Bashu in Nigeria's Cross River State, and were reportedly pursued by the separatists.

Cletus Obun, a former member of parliament in the Nigerian state, was quoted by local media as saying: “The terrorists killed nearly 20 people. No one is sure yet if there are Nigerian citizens among those killed.”

Biafra Nations League (BNL), a Nigerian separatist group, on Monday reported the death of seven Nigerians and announced retaliation against the English-speaking separatists in Cameroon if the authorities concerned do not publicly condemn the "invasion."

“We don't expect this foolish act by our neighbors whom we have worked so closely with,” Princewill C Richards, a BNL leader, said in a statement.