Boko Haram kills 4 civilians in northern Cameroon

DOUALA, Cameroon

Boko Haram terrorists raided the Tourou town in the far-north region of Cameroon overnight, killing at least four civilians, a local authority said on Thursday.

"On Wednesday around 8pm (local time), Boko Haram terrorists arrived in Tourou township and shot dead three men and a woman, and wounded four others before leaving for Nigeria," said Vohot Deguime, the mayor of Mokolo, a city near border with Nigeria.

He said the attack was aimed at Mt. Roum Toufou 1, a village on the edge of the Mandara Mountains, which borders Nigeria.

Deguime also believes that the terrorist fighters are "probably hiding there."

Since 2014, the Central African country of Cameroon has been engaged in a fight against Boko Haram terrorists in this poor, far north region.

The Boko Haram rebellion started in 2009 in northeastern Nigeria before spreading to neighboring countries. Since then, more than 36,000 people (mainly in Nigeria) have been killed, and 3 million had to flee their homes, according to the UN.

Despite the continued presence of the group, the security situation in the far north of Cameroon is "becoming more normal," Midjiyawa Bakari, governor of the region, was quoted by local media as saying.

For the Cameroonian authorities, financing remains the major challenge in the fight against the terrorists.