CAMEROON — According to the United Nations, multiple gunmen stormed a school in Southwest Cameroon on Saturday and opened fire, killing at least 8 children and injuring at least a dozen others.
The attackers, who have not yet been identified, also carried machetes with them during the attack.
Arriving on motorbikes and in civilian clothes, the men attacked the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in the city of Kumba, in the country’s Southwest Region, at around midday on Saturday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, described by the UN as “the worst atrocity” since the resumption of the school year earlier this month. It was not clear if the attack was linked to a continuing struggle between government forces and armed groups in the English-speaking west seeking to form a breakaway state.
via aljazeera.com
Children were reportedly jumping from windows to avoid being attacked.
The Humanitarian Coordinator in #Cameroon, @mznaab strongly condemns the attack against Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba, in the South West region of Cameroon in which it is reported that at least eight children were killed and another twelve wounded. pic.twitter.com/vJfLOrlmw0
— OCHA Cameroon (@OchaCameroon) October 24, 2020
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it could have stemmed from ongoing violence and conflict within the Country.
There are no words of grief nor condemnation strong enough to articulate my full horror at the brutal attack targeting primary schoolchildren,killing at least 6 of them and seriously injuring 13 more, as they sat learning in their classroom in #Kumba, southwest #Cameroon.
— Moussa Faki Mahamat (@AUC_MoussaFaki) October 24, 2020
Extremely disturbing video has been circulating the internet that shows parents and other people surrounding children that were deceased. Cries for help can be heard in the videos as they stand helpless over the children.
*Viewer Discretion Is Advised*
It is important for people to realize what is happening in the world, and that is why we are sharing a link to the video. The video is graphic. Please proceed with caution: here.
Gun ownership by private citizens in Cameroon is very rare, with roughly two guns owned for every 100 citizens. It is reported that many make guns at home, due to the violence that has been plaguing the Country over the past few years.
Regardless of what the motive was behind the attack, the world is a scary place and in places where lawful people are unarmed, the only ones with guns are the bad guys. Just as we see here.
The animals who take the lives of children are the lowest of the low, and in my opinion not even human. Let’s hope justice will be served.
