YAOUNDE, March 2 (Xinhua) -- At least three Cameroonian officials and two other persons were killed on Wednesday when their convoy vehicle detonated a landmine in war-torn English-speaking region of Southwest, according to security and local sources.
A senior army official who asked not to be named told Xinhua the explosion occurred on a road in Bekora village of Ekondo Titi Subdivision in the region by 1:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
They were killed when their vehicle stepped on a buried land mine, which exploded immediately, killing all occupants who included the sub-prefect of Ekondo Titi, Aboloa Timothee, the mayor of Ekondo Titi, Kenneth Nanji and Ebeku William, the president of the ruling party in the locality. The body guard of the sub-prefect and driver of the vehicle were also killed in the explosion, according to the army official.
Locals interviewed by Xinhua on phone said security has been beefed up in the village, long considered as a bastion of separatist fighters.
The use of explosives against security and state personnel is common in the region where separatist fighters are known to be active.
Separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation in Cameroon's two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest. ■