By Clarkson Fongang
The Forces of Law and order in Buea the Regional Capital of the Southwest region recently launched a man hunt in line with Investigations after a car was set ablazed by armed men believed to ambazonian fighters popularly refered to as separatists that led to the death of a man along Bwitingi road.
The incident which happened early 2024 has brought to the limelight the grim reality of what many young people go through inorder to survive in the restive Southwest Region which still suffers from kidnappings, targeted killings and the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Upon the announcement of a crackdown by local authorities, Ashu Emmanuel Asua,who had come to visit Buea, the town of his birth sensed danger looming since the target of the military is largely on young people.
Among the handful of youths trapped in this ugly scenario is Ashu Emmanuel Esua, a native of Malende in Southwest region of Cameroon(formerly southern Cameroon),whose whereabout is yet unknown.
Report has it that Ashu Emmanuel Esua was born in Buea, Southwest region and raised in Malende, a community noted for its hospitality solidarity and community spirit until the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in late 2016.
Ashu Emmanuel Esua’s delimma came into play when one of his uncles was tagged a “Separatist”. For fear of repraisal, the uncle eventually fled to Nigeria, a neighboring country in West Africa. Even before the departure of his uncle whom he lived with, their house had become a target for the military, who frequently carried out patrol in search of him.
Ashu Emmanuel Esua who was delivered in Buea but had moved to Malende came under serious threats from the Separatists too,who wanted him to join their camp. His car was also set ablaze after he managed to escaped to an unknown destination.
The military on the other hand was still in their usual search, ready to kill or capture anyone linked to the attack in particular and the Separatists in general.
“Last year,our house got burntdown by unknown men in the night. fortunately that night I had left the area for safety in the bush where my Dad had erected a hut at the beginning of the crisis.
This constant threat from both sides has put me in danger with no safe place to hide”. Ashu Emmanuel Esua told a friend before his disappearance.
It should be noted Malende which was one of the vibrant rubber Plantation estates of the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) is deserted as out of the 29 Estates 12 had been shutdown due to the Anglophone crisis.
Ashu Emmanuel Esua like many other youths cannot return to their communities because they are somewhat in between the devil and the deep blue sea.
According to Human Rights Watch’s field and open source research, at least 4,000 civilians have been killed by both government Forces and armed separatist fighters since late 2016 in the Northwest and the Southwest regions of Cameroon.