On Saturday, 19 athletes received treatment for injuries sustained in blasts. This was after series of tiny explosions occurred during a cross-country run in western Cameroon, where English-speaking rebels are fighting government forces, according to a local physician.
529 competitors are racing up the highest peak in West and Central Africa to compete in the Race of Hope atop Mount Cameroon in the city of Buea, located in the southwest area.
The explosions were claimed by one of the Separatist militias, the armed branch of the Governing Council of Ambazonia.
“The elite Cameroonian military protected the athletes, therefore that was our main goal. We won’t let Cameroon occupy.” According to Reuters, Capo Daniel is the group’s spokesman.
In a viral video on social media, people were seen shouting for the runner. However, they took cover as a tiny explosion occurred in the distance.
Furthermore, a second video depicted a second explosion near a group of runners at a different portion of the route.
“Nineteen athletes presented with injuries at our facilities. We worked with three. No deaths have been reported, and her condition is stable “According to Martin Mokake, director of Buea Regional Hospital, Reuters.
He reported that one of the patients treated was a Gabonese national. France competed in the bid.
The separatist revolt began in 2016 in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest areas, where teachers and attorneys felt marginalized by the largely French-speaking administration.
However, the security forces’ severe repression radicalized the movement, which led to warfare that killed over 3,000 people and displaced almost a million.
