Gunmen kill police officer and abduct five teachers in Northwest Cameroon

In the town of Wum, roughly 80 km north of Bamenda, a group of armed individuals broke into a teacher-training centre on Tuesday morning, according to regional governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique. A police officer who attempted to stop the assailants was shot dead instantly, and five teachers were taken to an unknown location. The incident is part of the ongoing separatist conflict that has plagued Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions for about ten years, following protests against francophone control of education and the legal system.

Separatist leaders have recently announced a lockdown aimed at disrupting the school year. The United Nations estimates the violence has killed at least 6,000 people and forced over 330,000 residents to flee internally, with many more seeking refuge in Nigeria. Security forces remain on the hunt for the perpetrators.