BY CYNTHIA BIH
The North West and South West regions of Cameroon have remained restive since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in 2017.
Investigative findings and reports from many human rights groups and non-governmental organisations have condemned extrajudicial killings, by mostly the military, on civilians including children and pregnant women, and the burning of houses.
The Cameroon Government has, for close to three years now, been battling to arrest the situation but tensions continue to intensify with civilian population in the North West and South West Regions living in peril, panic and pandemonium.
Due to this confusion, and fear of the unknown, many youths and businessmen continue to go underground. Government has equally launched a manhunt for alleged activists, businessmen accused of siding with separatists. The activists abound and a list bearing the names of those listed for arrest are already making rounds in the hands of the military as the accused have been placed under military searchlight and declared wanted.
The case of Peter Mboya Fombindia, a Muyuka-based businessman who deals with groceries, provisions and buys goods from Nigeria and sells in Muyuka, Fako Division South West Region of Cameroon is very much pathetic. Reports say at the heat of the crisis, while returning from his usual business trips from Nigeria in September 2020, a vehicle he was in was intercepted by the military at the Kumba – Mambanda Checkpoint.
Unfortunately for Peter Mboya, he was identified as the lone Anglophone in the car. The military is said to have immediately accused him for siding with separatists by buying and supplying the separatists with guns and foodstuffs. Eyewitnesses at the scene hinted that Peter Mboya was manhandled and detained at the Mambanda military camp.
Sources say Peter Mboya Fombindia spent six horrible and miserable days in detention before being released and he immediately went to his base in Muyuka.
This reporter gathered that, on September 30, 2020, on the eve of the celebration of the Independence Day of Southern Cameroons, a gun battle broke up between the military and the separatists and Peter Mboya, who was in his shop and like many other innocent civilians in Muyuka, narrowly escaped but unfortunately his sales boy, Clement Asong, was killed by a stray bullet.
Reports say Peter Mboya was later arrested by a military convoy from Kumba while he and Clement Asong’s were conveying his corpse to the Buea Regional Hospital Mortuary. The soldiers who were the same ones who had arrested Peter Mboya in the Kumba-Mambanda Checkpoint while he was returning from his business trip in Nigeria, promised that they will no longer release Mboya as they did in Kumba. Fortunately for Peter Mboya while on their way to Kumba, the separatist fighters attacked the military convoy in Mbalangi, killing some military men and Peter Mboya escaped to an unknown destination.
As we went to press reports said Mboya’s neighbourhood in Muyuka and shop are constantly under military surveillance while his parents were tortured and arrested in their Kumba residence. They were detained for three days by the military out of frustration because they came looking for Peter Mboya and could not find him.
Family sources say Peter Mboya Fombindia’s whereabouts still remains cloudy and he has been declared wanted by the military.
The country is now considered unsafe by many Anglophones in the diaspora who fear arrest or death if they return to the country.
While the Anglophone crisis continues to escalate, international organisations and other Western powers have called on the Government to address the root cause through dialogue. Also, prominent Anglophone lawyer and human rights activist, Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, has called on the Government to dialogue, and to release all Anglophones “unlawfully detained and imprisoned”.
The war still rages on and many more killings by the military are still being documented by rights organisations. The government has launched a manhunt for those alleged to be fanning the crisis both at home and abroad.
Terrorism charges hang over them if arrested as they have been declared wanted. Recently French President Emmanuel Macron promised to exert “maximum pressure” on President Paul Biya to end Cameroon’s intolerable human rights violations.