Cameroon school attacked by armed men, at least 8 students killed

Armed men attacked a school in Cameroon's Kumba town on Saturday, October 24 killing at least eight students and injuring a dozen others. According to Voice of America, the government has blamed separatists for carrying out the attack, saying that they had called for the closure of the school in the area last month. A senior government official from Kumba town informed that four children died on spot and others were immediately rushed to the hospital, where four more succumbed to the injuries. 

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What ensued shooting?

The separatists, who are fighting for the creation of an English-speaking state in the Northwest and Southwest part of the country, had last month issued a warning on social media saying they would not be responsible for the safety of the student if the government decides to reopen schools without withdrawing the military from the area. Most schools in the region had remained closed for the past four years ever since the separatists' movement had started in order to carve out an English-speaking state in a country where the majority of the population speaks French. 

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The government decided to resume classes across the country from October 5 after six-months of COVID-19-induced shutdown, including the schools in the disrupted region, which resulted in motorcycle-borne insurgents attacking the Mother Francisca Memorial College on Saturday. The government has deployed more security at schools in the region and has pledged to find the killers. According to the United Nations, the separatists' movement has left 3,000 people dead in Cameroon and has displaced millions of others.

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(Image Credit: AP)