By NOELA EBOB BISONG
In a 10-page statement document titled: FALSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST DEFENCE AND SECURITY FORCES, Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, Rene Emmanuel Sadi has dismissed popular opinion that the killings in Ngarbuh village, North West region was orchestrated by elements of the defence and security forces.
The statement was released on February 18, five days after the bloody incident, described as a massacre by some, wherein reports suggest over 30 civilians, mostly children were murdered in cold blood.
In a press briefing in Yaounde, Minister Sadi states that “The National Defence and Security Forces have once again been subjected to second-guessing and false allegations in their struggle for a return to normalcy in the North-West and South-West Regions of our country. Indeed, images of unbearable cruelty circulated on social media on Saturday, February 15, 2020, showing charred bodies, while indicating that this was only a reflection “of the massacre of the people, perpetrated the day before, in Ngarbuh village”, Ndu Subdivision, in the Donga-Mantung Division of the North West Region. Without any prior investigation or any cross-checking of factual data, several political activists, die-hard detractors, presenting themselves as “human rights specialists”, “leaders or spokespersons of political parties”, immediately stormed national and international media to attribute responsibility for the consequences of this incident to the National Defence and Security Forces through untimely and ungrounded statements.”
Maintaining that his colleague of defence, Joseph Beti Assomo had the previous day “formally denied these outrageous and misleading allegations and established the truth of the facts”, the minister providing as hard evidence Cameroon’s innocence, narrates as follows:
“For several months now, the National Defence and Security Forces have succeeded in taking control of and securing the Ntumbaw road junction, the flow pathway for all the illicit traffic that floods the Bui Division in the North-West Region, particularly the subdivisional towns of Elak, Oku, Jakiri, Kumbo, Mbiame, Nkum and Nkor. The armed gangs that were wreaking havoc in this area, sowing terror and despair among the
population, took refuge in a peripheral hamlet called Ngarbuh, to set up their rear base there and reorganise the racketeering of users, while perpetrating unspeakable abuses on the road leading to Ntumbaw. Alerted by the population, the Defense and Security Forces then deployed to Ngarbuh, in a reconnaissance operation, on Saturday, February 15, 2020.
In the heat of the action, and not far from the landmark chosen by the secessionist rebels as a logistical base for the storage of illicit goods, arms and ammunition of various calibres, as well as adulterated contraband products, narcotics and amulets, elements of our Defence Forces were violently attacked by a group of heavily armed individuals. The legal forces, consisting of six elite elements, responded vigorously and professionally, neutralizing seven assailants and routing other individuals from the armed secessionist group.
During the clashes that took place, a fire broke out in a fortified shelter that contained explosives and flammable materials stored by the armed rebels. This let to blasts, followed by tongues of fire that eventually spread and reached nearby dwellings.
As indicated by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence in his communiqué, the cross-checked balance sheet of this incident indicates five deaths, one woman and four children.
Deeply regretting this unfortunate incident, in a region where the Cameroonian army is working tirelessly and without sparing any effort, to bring peace and security, I wish to convey to the people, and particularly to the families affected, the most heartfelt condolences of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, and the comfort of the Government.”
He continues that “In any event, and on the Very High Directives of the President of the Republic, an investigation was immediately opened, with a view to further clarifying all aspects of this incident.
Presenting the defence forces as mature and sacrosanct in principles of respect for republican institutions and the defense of the Nation with honour and loyalty, the Minister states that
“The Government therefore strongly denies the fanciful and ungrounded accusations levelled by political activists, by sponsors of secessionist armed bands, by some Non-Governmental Organizations and some national and international media against our Defence and Security Forces.
“In the same vein, it is surprising how gullible these various actors are, to the extent that they give credit to fanciful allegations from nondescript and unreliable sources and hastily consider them as established truths. This obviously is an indication of their bad faith and their gullible minds, which are permanently working to manipulate the public opinion…The Cameroonian Government specifically calls on the international community to be vigilant, with regard to the flow of fake news hurtfully disseminated on traditional mass media and online, in order to undermine Cameroon’s image.