Double bombing kills nine refugees in Kolofata camp

Double suicide attack kills civilians displaced by Boko Haram fighting in northern Cameroon, officials say.

The Wider Image: Fighting Boko Haram in Cameroon
Thousands of troops have been deployed to northern Cameroon [Joe Penney/Reuters]

At least nine refugees and two suicide bombers have been killed and dozens wounded in a double bombing at a refugee camp housing civilians in northern Cameroon.

Governor Midjiyawa Bakari of the Far North region said on Friday that two girls detonated their explosives at the displacement camp in Kolofata.

He said several dozen others were wounded, including 15 who were taken to the hospital in Mora.

READ MORE: Motorcycle suicide bomber hits market in Cameroon

Bakari blamed the bombings on Boko Haram, the Nigerian armed group that has carried out attacks and kidnappings in Cameroon as it has widened its armed campaign to the area around Lake Chad.

 
 

Cross-border attacks

Northern Cameroon has suffered from the overflow of violence linked to Boko Haram in recent years, which launches frequent cross-border raids.

Nigerian refugees have flooded across the border and local residents have been forced to flee their homes.

Villages and towns in the area have regularly been targeted by suicide bombers.

A similar attack in Kolofata killed nine people in September 2015.

Thousands of troops have been deployed to the area in a bid to stem the violence.

Source: News Agencies

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