YAOUNDE, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Saturday evening strongly condemned the killing of school children in Cameroon's restive English-speaking region of Southwest.
"Violence against schools and school children is not acceptable under any circumstances, and can constitute a crime against humanity if proven in a court of law," Matthias Naab, humanitarian coordinator in Cameroon, said in a statement issued in the capital Yaounde Saturday evening.
Early Saturday, students were studying in a classroom at the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba of Southwest region, when gunmen invaded and opened fire. According to OCHA, at least eight children were killed and another 12 wounded.
The gunmen were believed to be armed separatists, active in the region since 2017, according to local authorities.
Armed separatists have been clashing with government forces since 2017 in a bid to create an independent nation in the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, Northwest and Southwest. Enditem
