BY LUCY LIMA
The lives of supposed Anglophone activists and activists from the North West and South West regions of Cameroon are in jeopardy as government intensifies crackdown on separatists fighters and search in the restive two English speaking regions. A good number of activists have been arrested and placed under dehumanising conditions in different detention centres across Cameroon, while many are reportedly on the run.
Those arrested are termed terrorists and levied several trump up charges including but not limited to propagation of false information, revolution, insurrection, secession and non-possession of National Identity Card. Meanwhile a good number of those on the run have been declared wanted with warrants of arrest issued against their names.
Last October 2016, Common Law Lawyers in Cameroon went on strike to protest the supposed annihilation of the Common law practice. Anglophone teachers joined the lawyers in the strike, November 2016, to decry government’s attempt to assimilate the educational system.
Government’s attempt to broker peace was futile as leaders of the strike actions termed government’s solutions as cosmetic with lack of good faith. This culminated in the arrest of some ring leaders like Barrister Nkongo Felix Agbor Balla and Dr.Fontem Neba January 17, 2017.
A series of events unfolded some youths later picked arms for “self defense” following governments declaration of war on separatists. All these led to the arrest of the President of the self-proclaimed state of Ambazonia Ayuk Tabe, in Nigeria on January 8, 2018 along with nine other members of his cabinet including Tassang Wilfred, Nfor Ngala Nfor and Barrister Eyambe Ebai.
This vexed youths, teachers and a cross section of population in the North West and South West region that they took to the street, January 15, 2018 to protest the arrest and extradition of Ayuk Tabe and his team. This protest was greeted by a repressive intervention by the military who used live bullets and tear gas on the aggrieved predominantly youth. Many sustained injury and a good number of youths and fathers were arrested and placed is inhumane prison conditions. Some of those arrested, later escaped and are still being hunted.
Buea-based Ako Formen Randdolf Maxwell, Denning Epie Njumbe,Mukete Iya Diwo,and some members of Buea Teachers Association (BTA) whose names are still to be confirmed are those alleged activists arrested during the January 15 protest and whisked to the Buea Central Prison. While in detention, reports have it that, they were denied access to family members and lawyers, except while going to courts. The SUN had it on good record that, Iya Diwo was in detention for several weeks during which she was molested, raped and placed under dreadful conditions alongside others.
A source, closed to the family, hinted that Iya was later released on a conditional bail alongside others but her health deteriorated such that she was hospitalised. While at the hospital, security officers are said to have stormed their Buea residence on several occasions. With this latest development, Mukete Iya Diwo smuggled herself out of the hospital and since then, her where about remains gloomy.
Recent statistics from civil society organisations has it that over 530,000 have been internally displaced in the North West and South West regions, over 1850 killed and least 50,000 registered as refugees in neighbouring countries, since 2016, when the crisis commenced.