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Four civilians were killed in the remote north of Cameroon in a cross-border attack by fighters from Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, according to Cameroon state radio.

Cameroon’s army responded after an assault on the village of Assighassia near the city of Mokolo, and two militants were killed and a Cameroonian soldier injured, state-run Cameroon Radio Television reported late on Friday.

“Two hours later, the terrorist group again attacked the village of Ganse, also close to Mokolo, and killed four civilians,” the report said.

Boko Haram rebels have made several incursions into the hilly jungle region of Cameroon in recent months. Cameroon has deployed troops to the border in an attempt to repel them.

The nearby village of Kolofata was attacked in July, with several people killed and kidnapped, including the wife of a vice prime minister and traditional chief, who are still missing.

Voice of America (VOA) quoted officials in the Cameroon defence ministry as saying on Saturday they had been informed of the clashes and were seeking to confirm the details.

More than 40,000 people have fled to Cameroon to escape Boko Haram attacks in northern Nigeria, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, leaving behind few but the elderly and the disabled in their villages across the border.

But once over the border refugees are still not safe and UNHCR is seeking to transfer many of them to a refugee camp further from the frontier at Minawao.

Foncha Ngeh, a businessman based in Cameroon’s northern hub of Maroua, said that hundreds of people were fleeing from isolated border villages in Cameroon to bigger towns and cities in search of safety.

Boko Haram has killed hundreds of people this year, mostly in northeastern Nigeria, although they have launched attacks across the country.

•Photo shows Boko Haram insurgents.

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