At least 14 people, including seven children, were k!lled on Wednesday when a separatist armed group attacked the village of Guidado in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest region, according to state media reports.
The attack comes amid a renewed surge in violence linked to the nearly decade-long separatist conflict involving the country’s anglophone minority in the predominantly French-speaking Central African nation.
Confirming the incident, Northwest Regional Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique said the victims included one man, six women and seven children aged between two and 11 years.
“This morning, an attack carried out by a terrorist group against civilians resulted in the deaths of 14 people,” Lafrique told the state broadcaster CRTV.
He added that 14 other people were injured and evacuated to nearby hospitals in Ndu and Nkambe for medical treatment. According to the governor, President Paul Biya has ordered new security measures to restore calm in the affected area.
Cameroon’s anglophone crisis began in late 2016 after peaceful protests by English-speaking lawyers and teachers were violently suppressed by the government. The protesters accused the administration of marginalising the English-speaking regions in favour of the francophone majority.
Since then, armed separatist groups seeking an independent anglophone state have frequently targeted politicians, civil servants and teachers accused of collaborating with the government. In response, the military and police have been accused of carrying out brutal raids on communities suspected of harbouring separatist sympathisers.
Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 6,000 civilians have been killed by both government forces and separatist fighters since the conflict erupted.