At least 14 people, including seven children, were killed on Wednesday when a separatist armed group attacked the village of Guidado in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest Region, state media reported.
The assault comes amid a renewed spike in violence linked to the nearly decade-long separatist conflict involving Cameroon’s anglophone minority in the largely French-speaking Central African country. Confirming the attack, Northwest Regional Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique said the victims comprised one man, six women and seven children aged between two and 11.
“An attack carried out this morning by a terrorist group against civilians resulted in the deaths of 14 people,” Lafrique told state broadcaster CRTV. He added that 14 others were wounded and taken to hospitals in Ndu and Nkambe for treatment. According to the governor, President Paul Biya has ordered additional security measures to restore calm in the area.
Cameroon’s anglophone crisis began in late 2016 after peaceful demonstrations by English-speaking lawyers and teachers were violently dispersed by security forces. Protesters accused the government of marginalising the anglophone regions in favour of the francophone majority.
Since then, armed separatist groups seeking to establish an independent anglophone state have frequently targeted politicians, civil servants and teachers accused of cooperating with the government. Meanwhile, the military and police have been accused of conducting brutal raids on communities suspected of supporting separatist fighters.
Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 6,000 civilians have been killed by both government forces and separatist groups since the conflict began.
