Three people were killed after an improvised explosive device went off along the Bali-Batibo road in the Northwest, witnesses and local police said on Thursday.

Police told the local media that the blast occurred late Wednesday when a vehicle carrying passengers stepped on the device, which was planted along the road to target soldiers who regularly patrol the region.

The victims, according to witnesses, were three local civilians who were returning from a market.

Police said they believe the incident was set up by armed Ambazonia fighters, who have been operating in the region since 2017.

Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces want to secede from the largely French-speaking Cameroon and create an independent nation in the English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

By Fon Lawrence with files