Gunmen open fire at school in Cameroon, killing 6 children

DPA|Published 4 years ago

An empty clasroom is seen following a shooting at a school in Kumba, Cameroon, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. Picture: Tamfu Ciduan Ndimbie/My Media Prime TV/via Reuters.

By Francis Ajumane and Kristin Palitza

Yaounde - The number of children killed when unknown gunmen attacked a school in Cameroon's English-speaking region has risen to six, a local official said on Saturday.

The heavily armed fighters stormed the Mother Francisca School in the town of Kumba on Saturday morning and opened fire on the children, said Chamberlain Ntou Ndong, the senior divisional officer of Meme, where Kumba is located.

The official initially placed the death toll at four children.

At least 13 children were seriously injured during the onslaught, Ntou Ndong told dpa.

"We have been seriously affected this morning as some ... fighters went to a private school and attacked innocent students," the official said.

The body of a victim is carried following a shooting at a school in Kumba, Cameroon. Picture: Tamfu Ciduan Ndimbie/My Media Prime TV/via Reuters

No group claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday.

Cameroon has been troubled by unrest and attacks on civilians since its two main English-speaking areas, North-West and South-West Regions, announced in late 2016 that they wished to secede and form a new country called Ambazonia.

English speakers have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens and getting less government funding in Cameroon, which is mostly French-speaking.

dpa