A separatist commander, popularly known as Wazuzu, and seven other armed separatists were killed on Monday in a clash in Muyuka, a locality in southwestern Cameroon, according to local authorities.

According to security reports, they were killed when government forces ambushed their camp. Some escaped with serious injuries but no government soldier was wounded during the raid.

Wazuzu was commanding one of the “main camps” of armed separatists in the restive region, a military source said.

Since 2017, government forces have been clashing with armed separatist forces who want the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest to secede from the majority French-speaking nation and form a new country they call “Ambazonia.”

Thousands have been killed and more than 530,000 displaced internally by the conflict, according to the United Nations.

In early October, a national dialogue to end the armed conflict recommended that greater autonomy should be given to the Anglophone regions.

Source: Xinhuanet