Suspected Boko Haram militants killed three members of a self-defence group in northern Cameroon on Monday, a security source said.
A police officer, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the three people, aged 25, 30 and 40 years old, were shot dead. According to local authorities, the victims were members of the Kaliari Vigilant committee.
Such vigilante groups are usually made up of civilians and are responsible for providing information or serve as scouts to soldiers.
Boko Haram has been active in Cameroon’s Far North region since 2014, posing significant humanitarian, security and governance challenges.
Last week, at least two soldiers of Cameroon elite forces Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) were injured and 14 houses were burnt down in an attack on a village in the region by the group.
An estimated 2,500 Cameroonians have been killed by the militant group between 2014 and 2017, according to the nation’s Ministry of Defence.
The UN Refugee Agency estimates about 26 million people in the Lake Chad region have been affected by the Boko Haram violence since the insurgency began in 2009 in northeast Nigeria and spread to neighbouring countries.
