Early on Monday, assailants indiscriminately shot at sleeping residents in a western Cameroonian town, resulting in a death toll of at least 20, as confirmed by a local government official.
The assailants initiated their attack in the predawn hours, setting houses ablaze in Mamfe, as reported by the administrative head of the adjacent Manyu division. Mamfe is located in Cameroon’s South West region, just under 50 km (30 miles) from the border with Nigeria.
According to official Viang Mekala, seven individuals were admitted to the hospital, and security forces are actively scouring the area. Mekala reassured the public, stating, “The situation is under control and the population should not panic.”
Since 2017, separatist groups in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon have been engaged in a conflict with the goal of establishing an independent state known as Ambazonia.
In the primarily French-speaking African nation, armed factions have conducted a series of assaults, abductions, and homicides in the North West and South West regions.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack.