Yaounde, Mar 18 (UNI) At least five people were killed on Monday in clashes in Cameroon's restive Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest, according to security and local sources.

In the Southwest region, gunmen suspected to be separatist fighters opened fire on a taxi in the region's capital of Buea, killing two people, a security source said.

"The incident happened by 7:00 PM (1800 GMT) this Monday. The men were driving when the terrorist separatists shot at close range. They escaped immediately when soldiers arrived," the source said.

In the Northwest region, government forces raided a separatist hideout in Baba 1 locality on Monday, killing three separatist fighters and rescuing six civilians who were held hostage in the hideout, local police told reporters Monday.

The army will deploy additional troops to the troubled regions following a surge in separatist raids, local media reported.

Attempting to create an independent nation in this region, the armed separatists began clashing with government forces there in 2017.

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