BY LUCY LIMA
More and more families within the crisis-stricken Anglophone regions in Cameroon have resorted going underground after surviving arrest and torture from the military for allegedly collaborating and offering financial assistance to Separatist fighters commonly known as ‘Amba Boys’, who are fighting for the restoration of the independence of the statehood of former British Southern Cameroons, termed Ambazonia. Since the declaration of war by President Paul Biya on Separatists forces attempting to break Southern Cameroon away from the union in 2017, many innocent civilians have died as the war rages on, while several others have escaped to neighbouring Nigeria as well as the western world like the USA, Britain, Canada and others for safety. Others have been simply gone missing as the government keeps targeting families for allegedly siding with separatists. Most of those targeted have seen their homes razed to the ground, family members killed by the military and accounts of those abroad suspected to be funding the crisis blocked or completely freezes in banks back in the Country.
30-year-old Achalle Jeovers Enow born in Etam Tombel Sub Division of Kupe- Muanenguba Division, South West Region, married to Obie Jennifer Bedie and father to Alex Adriel Bessem Achalle currently in hiding is in a state of total despair and desperation. Like many other innocent youths in the arm conflict stricken regions of former British Southern Cameroon, he has been declared wanted by the regime.
Family sources say on June 4, 2022, the cruel security military of forces of Cameroon invaded and raided their family house at Etam Killing his grandmother Catherine Achalle and his cousin by name Saviola Ayuk Achalle and that his father a retired military personnel and founder of a Peace and humanitarian village Association known as ‘‘Help Your Neighbour’’, narrowly escaped bullet wounds to an unknown Location and as we went to press nothing have been heard about him. Achalle Jeovers Enow is the main promoter and Sponsor his father’s association and usually donates money and items such as food, clothing and household equipment when they have their outreach activities at Etam and other villages around.
Suspecting the family for siding and financing the activities of secessionists, the military raided their house and killed two members of their family and immediately tagged them as terrorists. It became very clear that Achalle Jeovers Enow was on security searchlight, as he has already been declared wanted by the cruel regime and will be persecuted, and subsequently jailed like the Separatists leaders in the likes of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, President of the self-styled state of Ambazonia arrested in Nigeria on January 5, 2018 along nine other members of his cabinet including Tassang Wilfred, Nfor Ngala Nfor, and Barrister Eyambe Ebai.
Dependable sources told this Reporter that on June 13, 2022, the military at about 11pm raided his residence in Buea- Fako Division South West Region and whisked away his wife Obie Jennifer Bedie, meanwhile his child Alex-Adriel Achalle lived with the neighbours. As we went to press we got reliable information that the government has further intensify the manhunt for Achalle Jeovers Enow, placed an injunction on his properties in Buea to completely bankrupt him thereby forcing him out of his hideout.
The Anglophone crisis has been raging on now for close to six. It should be recalled that Common Law Lawyers went to strike in October 2016 to protest government attempts to annihilate the common law practice in a constitutionally bilingual and bi-jural Cameroon. The strike lasted for over a year. Anglophone teachers in the Country joined the strike on November 21, 2016 to uphold Anglo-Saxon values under threat in Cameroon’s two English speaking regions. The government crackdown on Anglophone activists has since intensified with arbitrary arrests, detention, torture and extra-judicial killings becoming the new normal, human rights groups have said and that the conflict in the restive regions shows no sign of ending anytime soon”.
The ongoing socio-political impasse in Cameroon especially in the restive North West and South West English speaking Regions in Cameroon, the United States Department of States. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour published a 45 page on Cameroon 2018 Human Rights Report wherein they highlighted the worsen Human Rights Situation in Cameroon as about 3000 civilians lives have been claimed, by the arm conflict, and about 730000 displaced with many living horrible lives in neigbouring Nigeria.