4 soldiers and a civilian were killed, when an official convoy was hit in Cameroon

Four soldiers and a civilian were killed Wednesday when an official convoy was hit by makeshift explosives in a restive English-speaking region of Cameroon, the government said.

A government spokesman blamed “separatist terrorists” for the killings in the Northwest province, where Anglophone separatists are fighting for independence.

The official whose convoy was apparently targeted was unhurt, spokesman Rene Emmanuel Sadi said in a statement.

Three other people were wounded in the attack, which occurred just before 1:00 am local (0000 GMT) near the town of Mbengwi.

The convoy comprising the local prefect and other officials was on the way back from a ceremony when it was “ambushed by separatists armed with makeshift explosives”, Sadi said.