An accidental explosion had killed a woman and four children in Ngarbuh village of the troubled Anglophone region of Northwest when the military attacked separatist camps, according to the Cameroonian army on Monday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Army spokesperson Cyrille Atonfack Nguemo said in a statement that the government forces carried out an attack on "fortified camps" of armed separatists in the village on Friday and separatists retaliated with "heavy fire".
"The fighting continued until the explosion of several fuel containers, followed by a violent fire that affected some neighbouring homes. This fire left five victims, including a woman and four children," Nguemo said in the statement.
A separatist leader under anonymity claimed some 40 civilians were killed during the military operation, and "there was never any confrontation between government soldiers and our fighters (armed separatists)".
Nguemo said, the allegations by separatists were false and stressed that "it is quite simply an unfortunate accident, a collateral consequence of the ongoing security operations in the region."