Armed men attack school in Cameroon English-speaking region

BUEA, Cameroon (AP) " A Cameroon government official says armed men attacked a school in the country's southwest English-speaking region, wounding more than 20 people.

South West Region governor Bernard Okalia Bilai said Monday that armed men staged the attack on Saint Joseph's College near Buea late Sunday. He said attackers used machetes and homemade guns, but no one was killed.

Last month, armed separatists warned parents not to send their children to school.

The government, however, had assured parents it had taken adequate security measures to protect schools.

At least 70 schools have been torched since a crisis began in Cameroon's English-speaking regions in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested the overwhelming use of the French language in the bilingual country. Separatists now have taken up arms, saying they want a separate state.