Five killed by female suicide bombers in north Cameroon

Five people were killed on Saturday in a double suicide attack by two women in the restive far north of Cameroon, the governor of the region said.

"Two women blew themselves up at around 6:00 pm" in the town of Dabanga, the governor of the far northern region, Midjiyawa Bakary, told AFP.

"The initial death toll is seven dead, including the two suicide bombers."

Two soldiers who had been stationed to fight the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram were also seriously wounded, he added.

The first bomber let off her explosives inside a house while a second blew herself up near a welding shop, said Midjiyawa.

This is the first time suicide bombers have attacked Dabanga, a small town on the road to the Kousseri border post, that is separated by only a stream from Nigeria. The region has been regularly targeted by Boko Haram.