Gunmen reportedly from Nigeria have killed at least five Cameroonian soldiers in Bakinjaw, a village along the countries’ shared borders.
Aka Martin Tyoga, a member of parliament for the district, told Reuters on Saturday that the attack happened early Friday when hundreds of armed herdsmen crossed the border from Taraba state to attack a military post.
Tyoga said it was a retaliatory attack after Cameroonian soldiers killed several herdsmen the day before.
Agwa Linus, traditional ruler of Bakinjaw, said the attackers also burnt down his home.
“This is not the first time they are attacking – it’s very unfortunate,” he said.
The attack is the latest in a territory tussle between militants and armed forces in the region and marks another flashpoint in the cross-border tensions between Nigeria and Cameroon.
In 2023, unidentified assailants killed two customs officers, a policeman, and a civilian in an overnight attack on a security post in northern Cameroon.
The attack happened at the entrance to the town of Mora in Cameroon’s far north region, about 30km (20 miles) from the border with Nigeria.
The attack was attributed to the Boko Haram.
The group, which began attacks in 2009, has displaced more than 2.5 million people and killed thousands across Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
