At least three separatist fighters were killed Thursday in operations carried out by armed forces of the government in Cameroon’s English-speaking region of Southwest, according to security and local sources.

Troops ambushed and killed a separatist commander alongside two fighters in the Bai Panya locality of the region, a security source in the region said Thursday night.

“The separatist terrorist commander known as General Ayuk who was killed committed serious atrocities against civilians and soldiers. He and his fighters killed and kidnapped several people for ransom,” the source said.

Earlier Thursday, gunmen suspected to be separatist fighters killed three civilians including a worker of a state-run plantation in Malende village of the region.

The gunmen also torched several houses of plantation workers, they said.

Separatist fighters are active in Cameroon’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, where they want to create an independent nation. They have been clashing with government forces since 2017.

Source: Xinhuanet