BY LUCY LIMA
As the crisis rocking the North West and South West regions, which long spiraled into armed conflict, continues to rage on, businesspersons have particularly been feeling the pinch.
They find themselves trapped between accusations from the defence and security forces on one side, and the Ambazonia separatist fighters on the other.
Some businesspersons accused by the military of sympathising with separatists have been arrested, tortured, and detained under deplorable conditions. Some have reportedly died in detention under unclear circumstances.
Meanwhile, those accused by the separatist fighters have seen their business places destroyed, some have been kidnapped and only released after paying huge ransoms. In some cases, businesspersons accused by the fighters have been killed.
Those who defy the Monday “Ghost Town” restrictions imposed by separatists by opening their shops or doing business have seen their shops burned down. In response, the government has intensified its crackdown on all individuals suspected of siding with, or sympathising with the separatists and their struggle for the independence of a country they have christened Ambazonia
On the other hand, business persons who respect the separatist-imposed ghost towns and don’t open their shops on Mondays are being accused of siding and collaborating with separatist fighters.
A case of a businessperson who has borne the brunt of the armed conflict is Natalie Ugitoh Abong, who operated a fashion shop in Limbe Fako Division of the South West Region.
Sometime in April 2024, soldiers of the elite Rapid Intervention Battalion of the military, known by the French acronym, BIR, are said to have stormed her shop, accusing her of not opening her shop on Mondays, but respecting the Monday ghost towns imposed by separatists. The BIR soldiers reportedly also accused her of supporting the separatist fighters in their bid to split the country.
She was tortured by the soldiers and ferried to their camp where she was detained. While detained at the military camp, Natalie Ugitoh Abong was continuously tortured, molested and interrogated.
After having been tortured for days, Ugitoh is said to have fallen seriously ill with bruises all over her body and swollen head. The soldiers, on April 5, 2024 are said to have taken her out of the detention cell to the hospital where it is alleged she managed to escape and since then her whereabouts is not known
Following days in the hospital, it emerged that some gunmen had burnt down Ugitoh’s shop on April 8, 2024.
The defence and security forces have declared her wanted. If arrested, Natalie Ugitoh Abong will face trial before a military tribunal under the 2014 anti-terrorism law, which carries the death penalty as its maximum punishment. That is if she is not killed outright like many other victims of extrajudicial killings within the context of the armed conflict in North West and South West Regions.
Growing abuses on businesspersons
It should be recalled that in September 2017 a businessman in Belo Subdivision, Boyo Division of the North West Region, popularly known as Sam Sawyer, who was crippled and, on a wheelchair, was killed after the military stormed his premises. He had been accused of having separatist fighters at his shop.
The lifeless body of Sam Sawyer was later seen, beheaded, in videos and pictures that went viral on social media.
On May 25, 2020, a trader in Mulang, Bamenda, whose only name was reported as Lambert, was killed by separatist fighters. He was accused of collaborating with security forces in the area and disrespecting ghost towns.
Meanwhile, on February 22, 2022, a soldier shot and killed Ibrahim Yinju Talla, a businessman and proprietor of Mawa Hotel in Bamenda and another person, Che Henry, an electric engineer. The incident occurred at Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda.
As the armed conflict continues, the populations of the two crisis-hit regions have been decrying atrocities reportedly committed by both the military and separatist fighters.
International organisations and other western powers have called on the government to address the root cause through genuine and inclusive dialogue.