By Ekema Emmaculate Namondo
The groundswell in activism that has been shaking the very foundation of Cameroon for the past six years has now reached unprecedented levels with virtually every Cameroonian being a victim. What originally seemed like a passing wind has virtually been transformed into a mighty tornado.
From a seemingly isolated Common Law Lawyers protest against the overbearing use of the French language in Common Law courts, in 2016 to the shutting down of schools in the English-Speaking regions thanks to a strike action called by all Anglophone Teachers Trade Unions protesting the Cameroon Government’s blatant disregard of the English sub-system of Education, accompanied by a generalized mass civil society unrest that went beyond professional demands to political demands, touching the on the very form of the state, disobedience, it was clear that the ground is shifting under the feet of the Yaounde regime.
The Anglophone crisis has now turned bloody with reprisals from the military against innocent civilians, who are caught in the web, especially in the restive regions of the North West and South West. Extrajudicial killings, burning of houses and villages, arbitrary arrest, molestation and torture, detention, and incarceration of youths tagged as separatist fighters in inhumane conditions are becoming a new normal as the crisis rages on. Youths, teachers, medical personnel, and other professionals, allegedly considered “terrorists” by Yaounde because of their secessionist tendencies, have restored to leaving the country for haven in distant countries.
Meanwhile, the Government has launched a manhunt for these youths, whose whereabouts remain cloudy, Separatist fighters on the other hand are accusing them of colluding with the government, reasons why they keep on kidnapping and torturing them for ransom thus causing them to be victims of circumstances and with going underground been the only option.
THE SUN NEWSPAPER has it on record that both the military and separatist fighters have been making impromptu checks on the residence of these suspected Anglophone activists. The government has listed most anglophones who are abroad as principal sponsors of separatist fighters for arrest anytime they are seen within the national territory.
In the midst of all these, several alleged activists both at home and abroad, have been reportedly earmarked for arrest, with regional and national warrants issued against them. Photos of most of the alleged activists declared “wanted” are said to have been handed to security operatives with names including but not limited to Fomuki Iris Keng, Tinjong Kendry Selvene, Menyele Charles Musima, Acha Munde Joseph and Eva Viviane Njecacal Mony.
These youngsters have been placed under security searchlight, making Cameroon unsafe for them. Cognizant of this, these youngsters have resorted to seeking a haven in distant countries where respect for Human Rights is supreme.
20-year-old Eva Viviane Njecacal Mony reports say is one of those anglophones alleged activists found in the crisis rocking the North West and South West Regions which has escalated into a full-blown war remains very pathetic. The victim of circumstances who escaped from persecution and prosecutions in Cameroon to a country where the respect of human rights is prime in January 2023 after having been tagged by the military for siding with separatist fighters and being their spy at the detriment of the regime in power.
The Sun Newspaper gathered that sometime in March 2022, Eva, while on a courtesy visit to her cousin in Muyuka one of the restive towns in the South West Region affected by the crisis, saw herself arrested by the military. She was molested, tortured, raped, and detained under dehumanized harsh conditions alongside many other alleged anglophone activists. Eva, The Sun Newspaper gathered was accused just like her family of being in support of secession, providing separatists with weapons to overthrow the government, having amorous relationships with separatist fighters, and providing them with state intelligence sensitive information. After a week in detention, Eva Viviane’s family sources hinted that she was granted bail at the state prosecutor’s chambers thanks to intervention from a pro bono Lawyer on condition that she will be making frequent routine checks at the state prosecutor’s chambers.
For fear of the unknown and especially with the brutal killing of her classmate by the military on his way home for allegedly supporting the anglophone crisis, Eva who had relocated to Yaounde had no other option than to escape out of the country. Ever since Eva disappeared from the country under unclear circumstances, the military have intensive routine impromptu checks around their neighborhood even at Press time as Eva Viviane Njecacal Mony has been declared wanted
It Should be noted that Human Rights groups and Non- governmental Organizations, and NGOs have in one voice condemned the extrajudicial killings by both military and armed groups of Innocent civilians, including pregnant women, and the burning of houses.
International organizations and Western powers have called on the government to address the root cause of the crisis through meaningful and sincere dialogue, especially as the outcome of the Major National Dialogue which took place in Yaounde from September 30 to October 5, 2019, is still to produce a positive multiplier effect.