YAOUNDE, Cameroon, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Officials in Cameroon said the nation's military has taken back a village seized by Muslim rebels from neighboring Central African Republic.
Ivaha Diboua Samuel Dieudonne, the governor of Cameroon's East region, said villagers were terrified when they awoke Sunday to the sound of heavy artillery fire, Voice of America reported. Cameroon's military had entered the area in response to CAR rebels attempting to seize control of a gold mine and establish training grounds outside their country, where clashes between rival factions continue to simmer on the brink of all-out war.
"Rebels that are living in Central Africa in the bush come to our territory armed here and there [and] create a kind of panic and so on," Dieudonne said.
He said Muslim Seleka rebels from CAR have been arrested and their weapons seized at various points throughout the past year. Cameroon closed its border with the CAR in August in response to the problem.
