YAOUNDE, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least four civilians were shot dead in Cameroon's war-torn Anglophone regions on Tuesday as armed separatists began what they called a "10-day lockdown," according to local authorities.
"In the Southwest region, three civilians including a student were killed in the localities of Buea, Tiko and Mutegene," a military officer who opted for anonymity told Xinhua.
"In the chief town of Northwest, Bamenda, a commercial motorcyclist was shot dead," said the officer.
Residents interviewed by Xinhua said there was "deafening" sound of gunshots in major junctions of the regions.
"We have been hearing the sound since morning. Businesses have closed and there is virtually no circulation of vehicles in the town," Emmanuel Mbah, a resident in Bamenda, told Xinhua.
The army said the civilians were killed by separatists as a measure to impose a lockdown in the regions. However, separatists have denied killing the civilians and rather blamed the army for "careless shooting."
Separatists have banned all sorts of activities in the regions from Feb. 5-14 as a move to disrupt National Youth Day activities expected to be celebrated on Feb. 11.
On Saturday, governor Bernard Okalia Bilai of Southwest threatened to "severely punish" civil servants in the region who will respect the lockdown.
"If they don't work, they will be sacked," Bilai said.
Armed separatists are seeking to secede from French-majority Cameroon and create a new nation called "Ambazonia."
According to the United Nations, more than 430,000 people have been displaced internally since the separatists started clashing with government forces in 2017.
