Gunman Opens Fire at Cameroon School, Killing 8 Children

Attacked During Class in English-Speaking Region Seeking Separation and Independence... Victims Aged 12 to 14

[Asia Economy International Desk Reporter] Armed assailants invaded a school in Kumbasi, Southwest Cameroon, killing at least 8 children and injuring about 12 others.

According to local media including Reuters on the 24th (local time), the assailants rode motorcycles into the school around noon and indiscriminately opened fire on students attending classes in the classrooms.

A student who jumped out of a second-floor classroom window to escape the shooting was also injured.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated in a press release that 8 children died either from gunshot wounds or from being cut with machetes (broad, long-bladed knives), and about a dozen others were injured and transported to hospitals.

Regional education official Ahim Abano Obase said the victims were aged between 12 and 14 years old.

Another official condemned the attack as the act of separatist rebels. The Southwest region is an area where separatists are active.

They imposed curfews and closed schools as a form of protest against President Paul Biya's Francophone government.

The Southwest and other western parts of Cameroon are areas primarily inhabited by English-speaking residents, a legacy of the colonial era.

This region declared separatist independence in October 2017, citing decades of marginalization within Cameroon, where the majority of residents are Francophone.

Since then, clashes between government forces conducting suppression operations and rebel groups have resulted in over 3,000 civilian deaths and about 700,000 displaced persons.