By Sandra Lum
In the troubled North West and South West regions of Cameroon, teachers have become unintended casualties of a brutal conflict. Armed groups, emboldened by their control over remote areas, have increasingly targeted educators, blaming them for the ongoing crisis and accusing them of profiting from the situation. The disturbing testimony of a former teacher from Mankon, Bamenda, provides a chilling glimpse into the dangers faced by those who continue to work in the education sector.
It was a day like any other at a remote secondary school in Mankon, Bamenda, on November 2, 2022. The staff gathered for a routine meeting, unaware that their presence had been leaked to separatist forces operating in the area. What followed was a terrifying ordeal that would forever alter the life of Delphine Echou one of the teachers present.
“I was kidnapped after the attack on our school by armed gunmen,” recalls Delphine “They tortured me, beat me, and smashed my toe with gun buts, causing a serious injury that took off my toenail completely. They threatened to kill me, accusing me and my colleagues of being traitors who had continued to teach despite their warnings.”
For Delphine, the accusations were as baffling as they were terrifying. The armed groups accused her of continuing to earn a government salary while they risked their lives in the conflict. They demanded a ransom of FCFA 3 million for her release, an amount that was impossible for her to raise. Despite her best efforts to explain her financial situation, the kidnappers refused to budge.
With the help of family and friends, Delphine managed to raise FCFA 1 million, which was eventually accepted by the kidnappers. After enduring a day of torture and threats, she was finally released, only to face yet another ordeal just over a month later.
On the morning of December 11, 2022, Delphine was preparing to go to church with her family when her home was violently breached by men in military attire. “They smashed the door open and forced us to the floor,” she recounts. “My husband tried to protect us by asking questions, but they brutally beat him and accused us of sympathizing with separatists.”
The soldiers, who had identified Delphine through the financial transaction she made to pay her ransom, accused her of sponsoring separatist activities. She was dragged out of her home, thrown into the trunk of a military vehicle, and taken to a barracks in Mankon. There, she was held in a dark cell, where she endured further torture and sexual assault over the course of a week.
“I wept and pleaded with them, telling them I was innocent,” Delphine says, her voice heavy with emotion. “But they told me my fate would be decided by orders from Yaoundé.”
It was only after six days of captivity, weakened and gravely ill, that Delphine’s situation took a turn for the better. A female officer, moved by Delphine’s plight, offered to help. She contacted Delphine’s husband, who in turn reached out to a local human rights organization, *Human Is Rights*, based in Bamenda.
The organization’s representative, Blaise, quickly intervened, contacting the military commander and securing Delphine’s release on medical grounds. She was taken to Mankon District Hospital, where she received treatment for the injuries she had sustained during her captivity.
Delphine’s story is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by teachers in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. Caught between the military and armed separatists, these educators are often left with no choice but to flee for their lives, leaving behind their homes, their jobs, and the children they once taught. As the conflict drags on with no end in sight, the human cost continues to mount, leaving a trail of broken lives and shattered communities in its wake.