Gunmen suspected to be separatists on Monday shot dead three officials, including a mayor, in Cameroon’s war-torn English-speaking region of Northwest, according to the army and officials.

Innocent Ngong — mayor of Belo council, one of his deputies, as well as Aaron Aghi Ngong — chief of basic education in Belo subdivision were ambushed and killed on their way to attend Cameroon’s National Day celebration in the subdivision, the region’s governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique said.

“Measures have been taken to trace the authors of that killing and we will be informed on all the development concerning that situation,” L’Afrique told reporters in Bamenda, chief town of the region.

Cameroon celebrated the 52nd National Day on Monday but separatist fighters in the country’s Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest imposed lockdown to disrupt celebrations.

The regions have been ravaged by a prolonged armed separatist conflict after separatists declared the “independence” of the regions in 2017.

Source: Xinhuanet