Boko Haram attack kills 6 in northern Cameroon

By Peter Kum

YAOUNDE, Cameroon

At least six people were killed and five others injured in a Boko Haram attack in Cameroon's Far North Region on Tuesday night, an administrative source said.

Raymond Rouksbo, the prefect of the Mayo Tsanaga department, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that the attack occurred at around 9 p.m. (2000GMT) in the Salamassali village near the Nigerian border.

"At least six people were killed and five others injured according to initial reports," he said, adding that the militant group also burned several houses "before retreating to neighboring Nigeria."

This is the first major Boko Haram attack in Cameroon since the beginning of February.

"Boko Haram’s silence for a few weeks does not mean we have to let our guard down. Our soldiers and population must remain on alert until the end of the war."

"Any suspicious person or movement must be reported to the security forces," Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the region said.

More than 20,000 people have been killed in the Lake Chad Region since the start of the Boko Haram attacks in 2009.

More than 2.1 million people have been displaced, according to the UN.