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Four people died when gunmen attacked a hospital and set it on fire in western Cameroon, where English-speaking separatists fought, a witness and a local official said on Monday.
The incident occurred in Kumba, a city that serves as a commercial center for the English-speaking region and was severely affected by the violence that began in October 2017 between separatists and Cameroonian troops.
"The attackers killed four people and burned the hospital," said an administrative officer in the Kumba area, confirming the information provided by a witness.
It was not known right away if the victims had been shot dead or if they had died in the fire, or if it was about patients from the institution.
Another local source said that it appeared that the separatists were behind the attack.
Fight for independence
The incident occurred on National Youth Day, the anniversary of the 1961 referendum, in which the English-speaking regions of western Cameroon were linked to Francophone regions. who had just won the independence of France.
Kumba is about 70 km north of Buea, the capital of the southwestern region which, with the northwest region, is home to an English-speaking minority representing about one-fifth of the country's population.
The two regions, formerly headed by Britain, have long complained of discrimination by the French-speaking majority and the separatists fought for independence.
Since the beginning of February, at least four people have been killed in Buea, one of whom was beheaded, with the separatists having announced their intention to disrupt the February 11 anniversary.
In the past 16 months, there have been regular clashes between troops and separatist groups that have attacked police stations, schools and organized mbadive kidnappings.
United Nations figures show that about 437,000 people were forced out of their homes because of the ongoing conflict, and another 32,000 fled across the border to neighboring Nigeria. .
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