Internet services have been shut down in the resitive English-speaking areas of Cameroon after it declared its independence, which resulted in clashes between law enforcement officers and protesters.
According to BBC, the city of Bamenda is now in lockdown with no cars or people on the streets. The authorities blocked the internet for three months earlier in the year amid similar unrest.
Main opposition leader John Fru Ndi told the BBC he believed that at least 30 people had died in clashes. At least 50 people were wounded and about 200 arrested, reports say.
Meanwhile, Cameroon's colonial master, France has officially commented on the ongoing political crisis in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. Paris called on all parties to exercise restraint and to reject violence.
“France is following the situation in Cameroon carefully and is preoccupied by the incidents that took place over the weekend,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne told reporters on Monday. “We call on all the actors to show restraint and reject violence,” she added. The latest round of violence on Sunday resulted in the loss of eight lives as security forces clashed with protesters.