BY SANDRA KUM
The list of families who have lost a member or more is inexhaustible. The case is the same for those whose whereabouts are not known, which is even more stressful to families.
Since the declaration of war by President Paul Biya on separatists fighters attempting to break Southern Cameroons away from the union with la Republic in 2017, many people have died and several others have escaped to neighbouring Nigeria as well as the United States and European countries for safety. Others have simply gone missing.
The war, which started with striking teachers and lawyers demanding for some reforms in both sectors finally degenerated into an armed conflict between the government forces and armed groups fighting for the restoration of the state of Southern Cameroons.
Thirty four-year-old Biankeu Vivien Ulrich, an electrician working with SATOM Construction Company, since 2019, is a victim of circumstances amidst the armed conflict. While as a student, he used to spend most of his holidays with his father, Biankeu Jules, who was then a soldier working in the Anglophone regions. Biankeu’s father went on retirement and settled in Douala and when the crisis in the North West and South West degenerated into an armed conflict, the ex- soldier with the Cameroon military decided to offer his services to separatist fighters popularly known as Amba Boys who took up arms against the regime to fight for the restoration of Independence of the former British Southern Cameroons.
Biankeu Vivien Ulrich’s father took advantage of this as an ex-military officer, offered his services by training the Amba Boys and smuggling fire arms to the separatist fighters to better equip themselves in order to withstand the military might of the regime.
Reports say when the military discovered the activities of Biankeu’s father, they stormed their residence in Douala on Monday April 11, 2022 and killed his father, Biankeu Jules, mother, Djeumou Flore, and elder brother, Biankeu Cyril. Fortunately, on what many described as a “Black Monday” for the Biankeu’s family, Biankeu Vivien Ulrich wasn’t at home on that sad day. He was at his job site and immediately escaped to an unknown destination. At press time time his whereabouts was unknown. But neighbours have confirmed that the military keeps making impromptu patrols around the residence of Biankeu Vivien Ulrich, promising to eliminate the entire family for terrorism offences and failure to report.
Other cases like this abound. It should be recalled that in 2021 another alleged Anglophone activist, Ofelia Kinyuy, got missing after escaping from the Kribi Central Prison and till date her whereabouts still remains cloudy.
Security operatives, as we went to press, have re-launched a manhunt for her to be apprehended, persecuted and prosecuted for her alleged connection with the Southern Cameroons independence struggle.
Reports say 39- year – old Ofelia Kinyuy, brown skin, black hair and brown eyes, 1.65m in height, round and bulky lady escaped from the Kribi Central Prison on Friday June 17, 2021, where she was incarcerated for detailed grilling by the regime, in relation to her alleged connection to the Southern Cameroons independence struggle.
Her family members, parents and friends remain till date in total despair and desperation. They have visited all hospitals, clinics, police and gendarme cells to look for their daughter to no avail and her whereabouts remains cloudy.
By press time, information was in circulation that “anyone with information about her whereabouts should contact the General Delegation for National Security or go to the closest police or gendarmerie post and make a report”.
The North West and South West regions 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 the extrajudicial killings mostly by the military, on innocent civilians including children and pregnant women and the burning of homes.
The government crackdown on Anglophone activists since 2016 when the crisis began has intensified with arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings becoming the new normal, human rights group have said.
Human rights groups and non-governmental organisations have, in one voice, condemned the extrajudicial killings by both non-state armed groups and by military on innocent civilians, including children and pregnant women and burning of houses.
Reports say this situation has caused many to migrate to French spesking regions, while others have fled to neighbouring countries and oversea where they are living as refugees.
According to statistics from hHuman rights groups, over 7,000 persons have been killed, hundreds kidnapped, thousands of houses and over 400 villages razed with over 75,000 persons identified as internally displaced with over 45,000 living as refugees in Nigeria.
Some have been left in constant fear either for the demise of their love ones or because their houses have been razed. These attacks have been so alarming that human rights groups across the board have concluded that Cameroon is no longer safe.