Explosion kills one, injures others in Limbe, Cameroon

An explosive that went off late last night has killed one person and injured others in Limbe, in the restive South West Region of Cameroon

The explosive was detonated at Soccer City at Half Mile, Limbe, in the early hours of today. The deceased victim is said to be a motorcycle rider.

A Limbe resident told MMI they heard a loud explosive sound around 4 a.m. and later discovered it killed one person and injured others.

The blast also partially destroyed a roadside supermarket at Half Mile called Lancement.

Many are still confused about who detonated the bomb, but some have blamed it on Ambazonia separatists, who imposed a two-week lockdown on Cameroon’s English-speaking Regions earlier this week.

The lockdown had a very minimal impact on the city of Limbe, as normal activities have been going on for the past few days.

Ambazonia separatists have used explosives in the past to target Cameroonian armed forces as well as civilians who violate lockdown calls.

In April 2021, the army said separatist fighters had turned to explosives because their numbers had been dwindling. This was after separatist IEDs killed 24 people— soldiers and civilians—in the restive North West Region within just two weeks.

Contrary to combat rules, Ambazonia separatists have continued to target civilians with IEDs.

This year, the separatists claimed responsibility for three explosions that killed a woman and injured several athletes during the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope in Buea in February.

Earlier this week, Ambazonia fighters in Lebialem, a restive area in the South West Region, detonated a locally made bomb that destroyed a military truck and killed a civilian mother of five.