About 20 people were killed and thousands vacated their homesteads in Cameroonian villages sharing border with Nigeria as heavily armed gunmen, believed to be cattle ranchers, Tuesday, had a face-off with farmers of the Franco-phone country.

Voice of America (VOA) Thursday cited eyewitnesses narrating that hundreds of Fulani herdsmen fleeing conflicts in Nigeria's Taraba and Benue states turned belligerent when Cameroon village farmers asked to leave the area.

The villages affected include Efung, Afu, Gayama and Mayi, situated about 20 kilometers from the nearest military post.