Two police officers have reportedly been killed and several others injured in an attack by separatist fighters in Ndu, Donga Mantung Division of Cameroon’s Northwest Region.
The incident occurred on October 7, as the officers were reportedly on patrol along the road leading to Ndu District Hospital when they came under attack from armed men said to be Ambazonia fighters.
The assailants reportedly opened fire on the officers, killing two and injuring others. The exact number of injured officers, however, could not be immediately established, nor was the condition of those receiving treatment known at press time.
The attack comes amid renewed assaults on government forces in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions, where armed separatist groups have continued to carry out sporadic attacks despite repeated government assertions that the security situation is improving.
The Ndu incident is also the latest in a series of attacks targeting members of the defence and security forces in the Northwest and Southwest Regions in recent weeks.
Ambazonia fighters identifying themselves as the Ambazonia State Army (ASA) Donga have claimed responsibility for the Ndu attack.
In material circulated online, the fighters displayed what they said was a firearm taken from one of the deceased police officers. The group also presented the attack as a military success against government forces operating in the area.
In a propaganda video released after the incident, the fighters mocked Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute over his recent assertions that the armed conflict in the two regions is gradually losing intensity.
The fighters appeared to use the attack to challenge the Prime Minister’s assessment of the security situation, arguing that continued attacks on government forces showed that the conflict remained active.
The reported killings come shortly after Prime Minister Dion Ngute renewed calls for peace and dialogue during a community peace and security meeting in Buea, Southwest Region. He urged community leaders, traditional authorities, elites and civil society actors to engage separatist fighters in their communities and persuade them to abandon the armed struggle.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly maintained that the security situation has improved significantly in the Northwest and Southwest, with government officials pointing to the return of some displaced populations and the resumption of economic and administrative activities in several areas.
However, the continued attacks on security personnel and civilians underline the persistent security challenges facing communities in parts of the two regions.
Ndu and other parts of the crisis regions have experienced repeated incidents linked to the separatist conflict, including attacks on security personnel, kidnappings and clashes between armed groups and government forces.
As of publication, there was no official statement from the police, administrative authorities or the defence and security services confirming the deaths or providing details of the operation.
The identities of the deceased officers were also not immediately available.
