YAOUNDE, Cameroon -- A regional governor in Cameroon says armed English-speaking separatists attacked a French-speaking town, killing one person, kidnapping 15 others and burning 86 homes in the country's restive North West region.

Governor Augustine Awah Fonka said the attack Sunday and Monday was the second on the town of Bangourain.

Abdouramann Njowir, a resident, said the attackers called the recent release of nearly 300 suspected separatists who had been jailed for almost a year without trial "a provocation." He said the separatists shouted for the release of their leader, who remains in prison and may face the death penalty.

Cameroon's English-speaking separatists have been protesting what they call discrimination and marginalization by the French-speaking majority since 2016. Their protests were initially peaceful, but some separatists have begun waging a violent campaign.