Twin suicide attacks kill at least 9 in Cameroon refugee camp

A double suicide bombing believed to be carried out by two children killed at least nine people and wounded over 30 near a refugee camp in northern Cameroon, officials said on Friday.

The bombers entered the town of Kolofata, about 10 kilometres from the border with Nigeria, before dawn on Friday, posing as refugees looking for food before the start of the daytime fast for Ramadan.

"Two suicide bomber adolescents aged between 10 and 15 years infiltrated the town of Kolofata," Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma said, adding that both had detonated their explosives.

"The official death toll is 11, including the two suicide bombers, and 30 wounded," Mindjiyawa Bakary, governor of Cameroon's Far North region said.

Bakary blamed the attack on Boko Haram, the rebel group that has carried out attacks and kidnappings in Cameroon as it has widened its insurgency to the area around Lake Chad.

"The two explosions took place when the Muslim faithful went to pray," a local cleric, Saidou Hassan, said.

Chain of attacks

On Thursday, two suicide bombers injured two people in the same border region and last week three suicide bombers were killed near a market as they attempted to set off explosives.

Cameroon is part of a regional task force that aims to eradicate the rebel group that has so far killed more than 2,000 Cameroonians, according to government officials.

Boko Haram wants to establish an "Islamic state" in Nigeria's northeastern region and the group is known for its contempt of Western education.

Nigeria's army has retaken much of the territory once occupied by the group, and a military coalition of regional neighbours has helped fight the group across the borders in Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Boko Haram's nine-year long insurgency against these countries has caused over 20,000 deaths and displaced around 2.4 million people.