At least five people were found dead after a roadside bomb exploded in Cameroon’s North West region where secessionists have been calling for independence.
Four soldiers and a senior national government official were killed after their vehicle hit an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Five others have also been left wounded severely.
The vehicle which hit the IED was part of a military convoy which was ambushed by armed secessionists.
The convoy, consisting of five vehicles, according to Reuters, was returning from Mbengwi, 450km away from Cameroon’s capital city of Yaoundé, in North Western part of the Central African country.
So far, no group or persons has claimed responsibility for the attack, however, Cameroon’s secessionists are being suspected.
The attack is similar to what was recorded in 2019 where four Policemen were killed in the North West.
Cameroon has been battling an internal crisis for more than four years now, leaving 3,000 people killed in battles for secession.
The North-West which makes up the Southern Cameroons alongside the South West, is struggling to have its own republic, named Ambazonia.
Ambazonia, tagged the English speaking part of the country has often stated that it is unfairly treated by Paul Biya’s French-centred government. Biya has been Cameroon’s President since 1982.
Leader of the secession fighters, Julius Ayuk Tabe and other members of his group are in Cameroonian prisons where they’ve been sentenced for life.
However, the group still wields authority with some of its strongest members leading secessionists. There are also reports of cracks within the ranks of the secessionists as many call for the stripping of the leadership of Ambazonia from Ayuk Tabe.