Gunmen Killed Five People in Cameroon Boat Attack

The French oil company says the gunmen attacked a ship off the coast of Cameroon, which killed five people, including three guards Perenco Cameroon’s oil sector.

The Associated Press has recognized the other two victims in the attack late Tuesday night as civilian security contractors working for Perenco.

This is the second incident reported this week involving oil rigs and their crews in the region.

Nigeria’s main militant group has claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack on an Exxon Mobil oil platform off the coast of southern Nigeria.

In a statement Tuesday, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has said it kidnapped seven local workers in the raid and threatened future attacks.

Exxon said Monday gunmen had attacked the rig off Nigeria’s Akwa Ibom state, but gave no further details.

In a similar raid on Nov. 7, gunmen kidnapped seven people from an oil platform in the same area as the attack also injured two others.

The region is home to criminal gangs who have a history of taking hostages for ransom. The militants say they are fighting for a fairer distribution of oil revenues.