Eighteen people were injured today in three explosions at the start of a marathon in English-speaking southwestern Cameroon, which has been plagued by a bloody conflict between the army and separatist rebels, the sports minister and the local governor told AFP.

The explosions occurred at the start of the 28th edition of the Mount Cameroon ascent, titled “Race of Hope”, which took place in Buea, the capital of the South West region, 70 km west of Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon.

“Eighteen people were injured, including one athlete and 17 spectators,” Narcisse Mouel Kombi, the sports minister, who was there for the event, told AFP.

“There were a few attempted riots with three explosions along the way. These explosions had no impact on the match,” said district governor Bernard Okalia Billai.

In a video broadcast via the WhatsApp app, the separatist ADF (Ambazonia Defense Forces), one of the main armed organizations in the English-speaking regions, claimed responsibility for the blasts.

“Our forces launched an attack targeting soldiers who were protecting athletes participating in the Mount Cameroon race in Buea,” said Daniel Capo, ADF spokesman.

The north-west and south-west of the country are mainly inhabited by Cameroon’s English-speaking minority, some of whom feel ostracized by the French-speaking majority in this country ruled with an iron fist for nearly 40 years by 90-year-old President Paul Biya.

These two areas have been the scene since late 2016 of deadly clashes between armed separatist groups and the army and police, while the two camps are regularly accused by international NGOs and the UN of crimes against civilians.

The conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and forced more than a million people from their homes, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).

The US embassy in Cameroon condemned the explosions on Twitter, saying “we condemn any act of violence”.

Soldiers were deployed to the site of the blasts and calm prevailed in Buea, an AFP journalist noted.

A total of 483 athletes from Cameroon and abroad participated in the “Race of Hope”, according to an official document obtained by AFP.

This nearly 42km long race consists of a climb up Mount Cameroon, the highest mountain in the country. This year’s event was marked by the celebration of the 50th anniversary of this marathon which took place for the first time in 1973.