At least five Muslim worshippers were killed Monday morning when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in northern Cameroon.

The attacker had joined an early prayer session at the mosque in the locality of Guetchewe in Cameroon's Far North Region, regional governor Midjiyawa Bakary told German Press Agency (DPA) by phone.

"He later detonated his bomb, killing himself and at least five other people," Bakary said.

A similar suicide attack in a mosque in the Fotokol district of northern Cameroon left 13 people dead on January 13.

Cameroon's far north has been hit by suicide bombings since July of last year. All the attacks have been blamed on terrorists from Boko Haram.

Thousands have been killed by Boko Haram militants in north-east Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The attacks have impoverished the region by driving tens of thousands from their homes and destroying infrastructure.