Cameroonian separatists killed four government soldiers in the country's west Friday, a regional governor said, the latest violence in a bloody independence struggle by English-speaking rebels.

The Northwest and Southwest regions of the west African nation have seen vicious fighting in the past four years, with the UN and international aid groups saying both army troops and anglophone rebels have committed abuses and crimes against civilians.

Overnight from Thursday to Friday, "separatists attacked the forward military post in Menfoung, leaving four soldiers dead and one seriously wounded," West regional governor Augustine Awa Fonka told state broadcaster CRTV.

The rebels often cross from Cameroon's Northwest into the West region to attack military outposts.

Members of the anglophone minority in the country's westernmost provinces had long complained of being marginalised by the French-speaking majority and 88-year-old President Paul Biya, in power for 38 years.

From 2017, their demonstrations devolved into a bloody conflict.

Under fierce international pressure, the government in Yaounde has acknowledged some crimes laid at the army's feet by aid groups and the UN, but mostly says they were the actions of "out-of-control" soldiers.

For their part, the rebels have extended their violent attacks against police and soldiers to civilians.

They increasingly kidnap people from schools that teach French, or murder those accused of "collaboration" with the government.

In the past four years, more than 3,500 people have been killed and over 700,000 have fled their homes to escape the conflict.

Related Links
Africa News - Resources, Health, Food

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Nigeria calls for U.S. Army's AFRICOM to move to Africa
Washington DC (UPI) Apr 28, 2021
Nigeria's request to relocate the U.S. Africa Command from Germany to Africa comes amid new attacks by terrorist organizations in West Africa. The command, responsible for U.S. military relations in Africa, is currently headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, but Nigerian President Muhammad Buhari asked for a change of location on Tuesday, he said, after a virtual meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "In my call with US Secretary of State Blinken, I asked the US to consider ... read more