By Tabe Gideon Enow
For the past six years following the outbreak of the Anglophone Crisis in the North West and South West, investigative findings from many human rights groups, and non-governmental organizations have on one voice condemned the extrajudicial killings of mostly the military, innocent civilians including children and pregnant women, burning of houses. Reports indicate that about 4,000 civilian lives have been claimed by the armed conflict and about 750000 have been displaced with many living horrible lives in neighboring Nigeria. The recent killings of civilians by the military in villages across the North West and South West Region of Cameroon have received widespread condemnation across the board including the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioners for Human Rights, the European Union, the USA, the UK, France, and the Nobel Women’s Initiative and Human Rights Watch. Many youths in the English-speaking North West and South West regions are reported to be entangled due to the Anglophone crisis that has been raging since 2016. Cases abound with a case in point being that of Charley-Sone Catherin Mekone whose whereabouts since August 2023 remain cloudy as a manhunt has been launched against her by the military.
Reports from Buea, the chief town of the restive South West Region say at the sidelines of the celebration of the National Youth Day in Cameroon on February 11, 2022, the military raided Catherine Mekone’s hostel and arrested her and two of her cousins and brutally whisked them to the Buea Central Police Station where they were molested, tortured and detained under harsh conditions. Charley-Sone Catherine Mekone was accused of instigating students to boycott the Youth Day Celebration. After serious negotiations with the commissioner sources say Catherine Mekone was conditionally released and was reminded of his duty to report back at the Police station since investigations were ongoing and that his case was special because his mother was amongst the Teachers spearheading the crisis. For fear of the unknown Catherine Mekone relocated to Kumba to live with a family friend. Back in Buea reports say separatist fighters came for her on grounds that she must have given information to the security about their hideout or camp, that their family are traitors and siding with the military. Family sources hinted that Catherine would be later detained at the Buea central Police for about three weeks for contempt. Catherine Mekone had failed to respect her rendezvous at the Police since she was hospitalized in Kumba. The Police commissioner alleged that Catherine Mekone was siding with Separatists and dating one of the Separatist fighters ‘General”. These
allegations according to family sources weren’t true taking into consideration that Catherine Mekone a strong advocate against Anglophone marginalization, frequently criticized the constant kidnapping, killings, and extortion carried out by the separatist fighters on innocent civilians caught in the web in between the security and separatists amidst the armed conflict, Zama’s family decided to cause his escaped from Cameroon since he was a serious victim of circumstance. Family sources say the military and separatist fighters keep making impromptu checks around their neighborhood in search of Charley-Sone Catherine Mekone. According to a worker at the State Security Department names withheld for security reasons had early on called Catherine Mekone’s mother and informed her that Catherine’s name had been listed amongst those to be arrested by the military to stand trial at the military tribunal. With these numerous accusations on Charley-Sone Catherine Mekone’s links with the separatists, she had no other option than to leave the country following advice from her friends and relatives who have witnessed how those linked with separatist fighters activities have been molested and finally jailed in the likes of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, Barrister Eyambe, Tasssang Wilfred, Nfon Ngala Nfon and many others including Journalists, Lawyers, Businessmen, Medical Personnel and Students.
At Press time, Charley-Sone Catherine Mekone Zama Kuete Frings Holsen and many more alleged Anglophone activists in the likes of Alemawung Nkafu, Maccolins Ewonkap Sylvie Keafo-on, and Nyugha Melvis Nahbum, have been declared wanted. The case of Catherine Mekone is even more complicated as separatist fighters raided their family residence in Kumba after the military dismantled one of their camps in Ekona near Buea and threw a paper written on it “ Catherine Mekone, as from today you are a blackleg and any day we find you consider yourself death”.
The war still rages on and many more killings by the military are still been documented by Rights organisations, the government has launched a manhunt for those alleged to be fanning the crisis both at home and. abroad. Terrorism charges hang on them if arrested as they have been declared wanted.