Police Officer Killed, Another Injured in Separatist Attack in Bamenda

A police officer died and another sustained injuries in an attack on November 29 at a checkpoint in Bamenda, the headquarters of the North West Region.

Authorities have yet to make public the officers’ identities.

Separatist fighters attacked a police checkpoint at Ntambesi junction this afternoon, where officers were stationed.

Authorities reported no civilian casualties.

Eyewitnesses say the fighters arrived onboard a motorcycle, opening fire at the police forces.

A source told MMI one officer died at the scene while another sustained critical wounds.

“The shooting was intense. I was heading to Mile 4 in a taxi when suddenly around Amour Mezam, heading towards Ntambesi junction, we heard heavy gunfire. I just thank God none of us wad touched by a stray bullet,” a Bamenda resident told MMI.

Security forces blocked traffic around the area of the attack shortly after the assailants fled, before reopening the road stretch.

At the time of this report, the wounded police officer had been ferried to the hospital.

Administrative authorities have not reacted to the attack. No separatist group has also claimed responsibility.

Security officers, separatist fighters, and civilians continue to lose their lives in the protracted armed conflict in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. In August, a similar fate befell two other officers.

At least 6,000 people have died in the conflict since 2016, including hundreds of Cameroonian police officers and soldiers.

Separatists and the government continue their armed campaigns against each other despite calls for dialogue.

Mimi Mefo Info