The Ministry of Defense have reacted to the killing of two young men in Wum sub-division, Menchum Division of the North West region of Cameroon in the night of January 1, stating that they were members of an armed gang.

In a release issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry, Navy Captain Cyrille Atonfack, the two young men identified as Gilbert Kum Mbah alias Lion and Godlove Ngong respectively twenty-eight and twenty-three years old were killed in a security operation to fish out separatist fighters who ambushed a soldier returning to base last December 31st.

The research operation in the night of January 1st is said to have led to the localisation of a small group of terrorists in a house in Zongokuo neighbourhood not far from where the soldier was attacked.

Operations to arrest the occupants led to the death of two among them, the aforementioned young men.

According to the population of the area, the two young men were innocent civilians who were summarily executed by the military.

Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the causes of the incident.