Two Cameroon government special forces were killed and another seriously injured late on Wednesday in an hour-long gunfight after being ambushed on the main road linking Bamenda to Wum.

The area is a notorious Amba fighter’s sanctuary in Mezam Division, North West Region.

The attack was one of four major gun battles that erupted across the North West, underscoring the dangers facing the Francophone army soldiers and other Southern Cameroons troops still loyal to the Biya regime in Yaoundé as they aim to curb the Ambazonia resurgence.

The soldiers from the Special Service Unit in Bamenda were returning from a patrol when Ambazonia fighters hit their vehicle.  Some of the soldiers left the vehicle and two died in the ensuing battle. The injuries to the third were described last night as serious and life-threatening.

The troops reportedly called in a quick reaction force from Bamenda which also came under Amba fire.

By Fon Lawrence in Bamenda