Gunmen apparently from Nigeria assassinated at least five Cameroonian troops in Bakinjaw, a village on the countries’ shared border.
Aka Martin Tyoga, a member of parliament for the district, told Reuters on Saturday that the incident occurred early Friday when hundreds of armed herders crossed the border from Taraba state to target a military position.
Tyoga claimed it was a revenge strike after Cameroonian military killed several ranchers the day prior.
Agwa Linus, Bakinjaw’s traditional ruler, claimed the attackers also burned down his residence.
“This is not the first time they are attacking – it’s very unfortunate,” he said.
The incident is the latest in a territorial dispute between terrorists and armed forces in the region, and it adds to the tensions between Nigeria and Cameroon across their borders.
Unidentified assailants attacked a security post in northern Cameroon overnight in 2023, killing two customs officers, a police officer, and a civilian.
The incident occurred at the entrance to the town of Mora in Cameroon’s far north area, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Nigerian border.
The attack was attributed to Boko Haram.
The organisation, which began attacks in 2009, has displaced over 2.5 million people and murdered thousands in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.