Security forces in Cameroon are searching for armed attackers who killed a police officer and kidnapped five teachers during a raid on a teacher training centre in the Northwest Region.
Northwest Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique told AFP that the attackers infiltrated the training centre in Wum on Tuesday morning. The town is about 80 kilometres north of Bamenda.
According to the governor, a police officer attempted to intervene but was shot and killed. The attackers then abducted five teachers and fled to an unknown location.
The incident comes amid renewed tensions in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions. Separatist groups have been fighting government forces there since 2017, following protests over what many English-speaking teachers and lawyers described as growing Francophone influence over education and the legal system.
Local reports say separatist leaders in the two regions recently announced a lockdown intended to disrupt the school year.
The conflict has resulted in widespread violence, including killings, kidnappings and extortion. The United Nations estimates that at least 6,000 people have died since 2016.
More than 330,000 people were internally displaced in Cameroon last year, while about 100,000 others reportedly fled across the border into neighbouring Nigeria.
The latest attack has renewed concerns about the safety of teachers and students as authorities continue efforts to restore security in the affected regions.
