BY SIMON NDIVE KALLA
As the crisis in the North West and South West Regions, which long escalated into an armed conflict, continues to take new twists, the government, through the defence and security forces, has been cracking on civilians, carrying out raids on several communities.
The military has been storming communities within the crisis-hit regions, indiscriminately arresting persons. Sources say the arrested persons are being tortured and detained under inhumane conditions. Some are reported to have died in detention.
Meanwhile, there have also been reports of the military committing atrocities such as rape, torture of young people whom they arrest. Civil society organisations have condemned such actions carried out by the military.
A group of civil society organisations including Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA; Reach out Cameroon among others, recently condemned such atrocities. The national civil society organisations, along with international observers, have reported abuses by state security forces.
These reports include allegations of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and torture, disappearances, rape, burning of villages, excessive force against protesters, among others.
International human rights groups and UN bodies have repeatedly echoed condemnations and called for investigations into the abuses.
Military raids Bambili, reportedly commits atrocities
It should be recalled that back in September 2020, the military had launched a raid on Bambili, Tubah Subdivision, Mezam Division of the North West Region. This was after the military had a confrontation with Ambazonia separatist fighters. There was mass arrests by military of about 30 people, amongst whom were young students, local businessmen and ladies.
The arrested persons were taken to unknown destinations and it was alleged that days later, they were whisked to a military camp. The arrested ladies are alleged to have been raped and tortured, leading to the death of some.
We gathered that the arrested persons included Eveline Sota, Bessin Tambong, Soba Athanasius, Kum Marcel, Megan Joyceline, Mefa John, Matilda Ngomou, Che Neba Carine, Tah Gilbert Tah, Missah Ruben Ngong, and a few unidentified others.
However, following pressure from civil society organisations and alleged payment of a huge sums of money as bribe to some military officers, the arrested persons were later released.
But for fear of their lives, they are said to have vamoosed and their whereabouts remains unknown. If rearrested, they may be tried in a military tribunal, under the 2014 anti-terrorism law, whose maximum punishment is the death sentence. That is if they are not killed outright, like many others who have been victims of extrajudicial killings within the context of the armed conflict in the North West and South West regions.
Flashback on origin Anglophone crisis
It should be recalled that the Anglophone crisis, something that pundits say had been brewing for several years, boiled over in 2016, when Common Law lawyers in the North West and South West regions went on strike. They were demanding for the return of the federal system of government, redeployment of Civil Law Magistrates back to Civil Law Courts in French Cameroon, among other grievances.
Not long after, teachers in the North West and South West regions also went on strike, demanding for the redress of several issues concerning the English sub system of education.
Things, however, got worse when Anglophones in both regions, who had been fed up with the unfavourable political and economic situation of the country, the use of French as the dominant and official language, and the marginalisation of the Anglophones, joined the strike.
The situation later escalated into an armed conflict when some Anglophones piked up arms, fighting for the independence of country they have named. Ambazonia.
The crisis has left thousands, both civilians and security and defence forces dead, some 700,000 displaced with some living in bushes while over 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Nigeria, where they are living as refugees.
Many houses, and even whole villages, have been burnt down in the crisis-hit regions.
The separatist leader of the self-declared Republic of Ambazonia, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and eight other close associates of his, who were arrested in Nigeria and extradited to Cameroon, are currently at the Kondengui maximum security prison where they are serving life sentences. They were sentenced by the Yaounde military tribunal in August 2019 on charges including terrorism and secession.
Many other activists such as Mancho Bibixy, Penn Terrence, Tsi Conrad, among others, are serving jail terms at the Kondengui prison.
While the Anglophone crisis continues to escalate, international organisations and other western powers have called on the government to address the root cause through genuine and inclusive dialogue.