Explosion kills 1 soldier in Cameroon’s restive Anglophone region

A soldier of Cameroon’s elite force, Rapid Intervention Battalion, was killed in an explosion in the country’s English-speaking Northwest region Wednesday, a military official told Xinhua.

The soldier identified as Lieutenant Fabrice Boutou was killed when his vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) on a road in Mbengwi, the headquarters of Momo division in the region, a local military officer told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The IED, which was planted and remotely detonated, destroyed his vehicle, the source said.

Armed separatists fighting to create an independent nation in the country’s two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest have claimed responsibility for the roadside attack.

The security situation in the troubled regions has improved since the start of the year, but clashes between security forces and separatist groups are still occasionally reported, according to security reports. Enditem