YAOUNDE, April 13 (NNN-XINHUA) — Three separatist fighters were killed in a military ambush in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region of Northwest, according to local and security sources.
The fighters abducted a middle-aged woman in Babessi locality late Monday, but they were waylaid on their way by troops who were alerted by the local population, a military official in the region said.
“The troops successfully ambushed and neutralized them and rescued the abducted lady,” the official who asked not to be named told Xinhua by phone.
The fighters were “notorious” in the locality for the abduction of civilians, some local people told Xinhua.
“Every week, they come and kidnap people and demand ransom. They have become a real problem to the community,” said a resident of the locality who opted to remain anonymous for security reasons.
There has been fighting between government forces and separatist fighters in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017 after separatists made a bid to create an independent nation in the regions. — NNN-XINHUA
