An improvised explosive device went off Monday in Cameroon’s war-torn English-speaking region of Southwest, killing one person, according to the police.

Buea Ghost fighters, an armed separatist group, claimed responsibility for the blast which happened in the town of Buea.

A separatist fighter disguised as a passenger stopped a taxi and then dropped the explosive device in the vehicle which exploded and killed the taxi driver identified as Feugang Baude-Laire.

A senior policeman at the scene said the explosion, which sent passersby running, was unusual in the relatively peaceful town.

“This sort of attack is very rare in Buea,” he said.

Separatist fighters said that they were targeting taxi drivers who disobey the order to stay home Mondays.

Every Monday, residents in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest stay home following “ghost town” or sit-at-home order, a form of civil disobedience which separatist leaders instituted since 2017.

Separatist insurgents are seeking to form a breakaway state called “Ambazonia” in the two English-speaking regions. They have been clashing with government forces since 2017.

Source: Xinhuanet