Amba fighters invade, reign terror in Buea!.

The attack, locals said, happened between 8:30p.m. and 9:00p.m., precisely around the co-cathedral neighbourhood. Residents of the area said, about seven armed men invaded the area, claiming they came to ensure respect for the separatist-imposed ghost town on Mondays.

One of the residents of the neighbourhood where the attack was intense, said the gunmen were putting on military attire. 

Our respondent said at first, many thought the attackers were security officers on duty but within minutes, they went wild, shooting indiscriminately and setting vehicles ablaze.

The attackers, we gathered, later paraded the stretch from the Buea Central Market leading to Checkpoint Molyko. 

At this point, the gunmen, it is reported, first tried stopping cars that were in circulation before opening fire on some. 

This is said to have forced some drivers to abandon their cars as they scampered for safety.

Unclear story of person killed

Sources indicated that while most drivers and passengers escaped to safety, another person whose name we got as Derrick Luma Musonge, had an exchange with the gunmen. They are said to have set his car ablaze before shooting him to death.

Another person who said he witnessed the carnage, told The Guardian Post that one of the attackers had “a heavy automatic machine gun and was just shooting while another was shouting and warning people not to come out of their homes. They warned that people who continue to disrespect calls for ghost town will be killed and their cars burnt”.

Separatists claim responsibility

Shortly after the attack, a video surfaced online in which gun-wielding individuals who identified themselves as separatist fighters, claimed responsibility for the attack. 

The individuals, in the video, also identified themselves as belonging to the “Mountain Lions” separatist armed group, under the control of the self-styled Major General Sagat.

Governor condemns attack

After visiting the scene of the attack yesterday, the Governor of the South West Region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, condemned the attack but urged the population to denounce separatists.

“This attack is coming because separatists are still there carrying weapons. This is why I have always urged the population to denounce them. They are no longer in the bushes, but living with the population who are the victims of their atrocities…”.

In the meantime, most inhabitants of Buea, are yet to come to terms with the fact that gunmen could easily access the heart of the regional capital and staged such an attack.

Buea, like most cities in the North West and South West Regions, boasts a heavy military presence. The attack comes after a period of peace and stability with many people having denounced the separatist-imposed ghost towns in Buea.