At least 19 athletes were wounded in a series of explosions at a running race in Buea, the capital of Cameroon’s English-speaking Southwest region, according to a local doctor. Martin Mokake, the director of Buea Regional Hospital, told Reuters that the wounded athletes had been brought to the facility and three of them had been operated on. He added that one of those being treated was a Gabonese citizen.
The 529 race participants included local runners as well as athletes from East, Central and Northern Africa and France, who were competing in the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope. Videos shared widely on social media showed spectators cheering on a runner before dashing for cover when a small explosion went off in the distance, as well as another explosion going off near a pack of runners elsewhere on the route.
The armed wing of Ambazonia Governing Council, one of the separatist armed groups in the region, has claimed responsibility for the blasts. “Our primary target was the Cameroon elite forces … that were providing security for the athletes. We will not allow Cameroon to continue its occupation,” said Capo Daniel, the group’s spokesperson.
The separatist rebellion in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions began in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested against their perceived marginalisation by the primarily French-speaking national government. A violent crackdown by security forces turned the movement towards armed rebellion, and the ensuing conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced nearly one million. The attack in Buea is yet another example of the violence that continues to plague the region.