Community leader says armed men kill 15 people in northwestern Cameroon

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Armed men killed at least 15 people, including eight children, during an attack on Wednesday in northwestern Cameroon, a community leader said.

The early-morning attack occurred in Gidado, in the remote Ndu area of the embattled English-speaking northwest, local chief Tata Ndzisshoto told The Associated Press.

Cameroon’s western regions have been plagued by fighting since English-speaking separatists launched a rebellion in 2017 with the stated goal of breaking away from the French-speaking majority. They aim to establish an independent English-speaking state.

Ndzisshoto did not say who was responsible for the attack, and no one has claimed responsibility. He said the armed men targeted herders from the Mbororo ethnic group. Separatist fighters in the region have long accused Mbororo herders of supporting Cameroon's military.

The governor of the North West Region, Adolphe Lele Lafrique, speaking to state broadcaster Cameroon Radio Television, described the attack as a “massacre” perpetrated by “terrorists.” He said at least 14 people, among them seven children and six women, were killed.

The government has accused separatists of committing atrocities against civilians since the conflict began. The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over 600,000 others, according to the International Crisis Group, a think tank.

Though the number of deadly attacks by separatists has decreased in recent years, the conflict shows no sign of resolution. Peace talks with international mediators have stalled, with both sides accusing each other of acting in bad faith.

In September, a separatist group claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing that killed seven soldiers in southwestern Cameroon.

The separatist conflict is rooted in Cameroon’s colonial history, when the country was divided between France and Britain after World War I. English-speaking regions later joined French Cameroon in a 1961 U.N.-backed vote, but separatists say they have since been politically and economically marginalized.