dakar/bamenda cameroon troop attack helicopters open fire protesters height separatist rally english-speaking areas cameroon weekend kill wound people witness right group say army dismiss report source five towns completely false say helicopters use surveillance use air attack would mark major escalation government crackdown separatist protest rumble anglophone district central african oil producer almost year thousands take streets towns across northwest southwest regions sunday oct. call independence country french-speaking majority right group say start collect report ensue violence areas border nigeria week progress eight people towns bamenda buea ndu tombel kumbo tell reuters police soldier move stop protest areas low-flying attack helicopters fire tear gas live round crowd etienne ndage 31-year-old journalist savannah frontier radio northwest tea-plantation town ndu say saw helicopters fire around pm local time kill two protesters 1,000-strong march gain momentum fire like war film tell reuters hilary manjong private secretary local member parliament ndu say witness share similar account army spokesman didier badjeck dismiss account report helicopters fire protestors completely false helicopters conduct surveillance say government early week say 10 people die sunday include five prison fire may link protest governor southwest region bernard okalia bilai tell cameroon tribune newspaper article publish tuesday protesters ambush soldier kumba force open fire self defense amnesty international tell reuters thursday 20 people kill oct. 2. demonstrations begin nearly year ago anglophone lawyers teachers protest work french say show wide marginalization english-speaking minority protest gain support increasingly call cameroon five million english speakers get country rally also become lightning rod opposition president paul biya 35-year rule campaigners call protest sunday anniversary anglophone cameroon independence britain southwest town tombel resident speak condition anonymity tell reuters military helicopter come low town center wind gusts throw man motorbike first helicopter fire teargas disperse crowd open fire resident say normally fire rubber bullets could tell sound real add outside buea police grind helicopter open fire protestors run bush bypass military checkpoint say louis anuchem 35-year-old taxi driver buea helicopter come close grind add hear gunshots bullets come tree tell reuters demonstrations police go door-to-door towns round young men women residents say soldier come neighborhood break home carry boys away say lanya joel 21-year-old kumba resident scar away right group southern cameroon public affairs committee say report 12 year-old girl shoot security force helicopter town kumbo bamenda provincial episcopal conference anglophone christian bishops say statement week disturb report christians ... arrest maim simply shoot death helicopters helene mekem say son shoot dead security force outside home kumba sunday even though involve protest kill innocent ones tell reuters cameroon army helicopters shoot separatist protesters witness