YAOUNDE, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday said it had condemned acts of violence and abduction of school children in the troubled Anglophone area.

"UNICEF Cameroon condemns acts of violence, abduction, intimidation and attacks against schools in the Northwest and Southwest regions. All children in those regions like any other across the country must be able to go to school in peace." Jacques Boyer, UNICEF's representative in Cameroon said in a statement released on Thursday.

"UNICEF calls for the protection of the rights of all children." Boyer said.

Since the new academic year started on September 3, schools, students, teachers and administrative personnel in the two regions have become the targets of the violence. On Tuesday gunmen attacked a high school in the Northwest region, kidnapping six school children and the principal.

Armed separatist forces have been clashing with Cameroon security forces in the two regions since November last year. The separatists are fighting for creating a new country in the two regions called "Ambazonia."