Arabic-speaking armed robbers in eastern Cameroon killed a woman and stole money, jewellery and cellphones from dozens of motorists after holding up 30 vehicles on a main road, witnesses said on Monday.
They told state radio the assailants, who were hooded and dressed in military fatigues, halted cars on Sunday outside the town of Dimako in East Province, which borders with the Central African Republic.
State radio said one woman traveller was shot in the head and killed when she resisted orders from the robbers to hand over her money and cellphone. About 20 more people were injured, the radio added, but did not explain how.
A senior administrative officer, who was among those robbed but did not give his name, said the hold-up took place in daylight and trapped about 100 motorists.
”We initially thought it was a security checkpoint … But as we came closer we saw men dressed in military fatigues with hooded heads. Before we could realise what was happening we were surrounded by several others from the bush,” he said.
”We were ordered out of the vehicles, forced to lie flat on our stomachs and to surrender all money, cellphones and jewellery we had,” he added. He said the robbers spoke Arabic.
After ransacking the cars, the robbers shot out tyres and left obstacles on the road to gain time to escape.
Highway robbers have previously operated in Cameroon’s Adamawa, North and Far North provinces, but in recent years they have extended their activities to the south.
No information was immediately available on the attackers’ identity.
Arabic is not commonly spoken in Cameroon, but is more frequently used in neighbouring Chad and Central African Republic, where the governments are fighting rebel movements and widespread banditry. — Reuters