BY Sandra Lum
For the past five years following the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in the North West and South West regions, investigative findings from many human rights groups, non-governmental organisations have in one voice condemned the extrajudicial killings by mostly the military, on innocent civilians including children and pregnant women and burning of houses.
Reports indicate that about 4,000 civilian lives have been claimed by the armed conflict and about 750,000 have been displaced with many living horrible lives in neighbouring Nigeria. The recent killings of civilians by the military in villages across the North West and South West regions of Cameroon have received widespread condemnation across the board including the UN Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union, the USA, UK, France, and the Nobel Women’s Initiative and Human Rights Watch.
It should be recalled that Common Law lawyers went to strike in October 2016 to protest government attempts to annihilate the Common Law practice in a constitutionally bilingual and bi-jural Cameroon. The strike lasted for over a year. Anglophone teachers in the country joined the strike on November 21, 2016 to uphold Anglo-Saxon values under threat in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions and unfortunately the crisis metamorphosed into an arm conflict.
Youths caught in the web
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 on since 2016. Cases abound with a case in point being that Fon Synthia Asandom whose whereabouts since February 2023 still remains cloudy as a man hunt has been launched against her by the military. Family sources have confirmed that their 24-year-old daughter was arrested alongside others on February 10, 2022 in their Bafut residence on the eve of the National Youth Day celebration by some well masked heavily armed uniform officers. They were accused of habouring criminals, secretly supporting separatist fighters, with her being one of those youths promoting and advocating for lockdowns, planning youth’s demonstrations and rallies. Reports say their entire residence was ransacked by the uniform officers and items such as phones, flyers with a caption “Anglophones deserve better” and laptops were confiscated before they were being taken to the police headquarters where the interrogation was vigorous and tense.
While in detention under horrible inhumane condition she was almost raped by the officer who later framed her up for wanting to escape from detention. After about a week in detention they were taken to the Legal Department but unfortunately for her the State Counsel accused her of being a frontline activists and supporter of the Anglophone struggle and movement due to the flyers and other items that the police confiscated in their residence during the raid in Bafut. As if these allegations were not enough, she was equally accused of dating separatist fighters and giving sensitive information about the state.
THE SUN NEWSPAPER gathered that Fon Synthia was caught in the web as she was caused by both the separatists and government especially as her uncle was killed by the separatists in June 2020 for being an informant to the government. Thanks to the intervention of their family Lawyer Fon Synthia Asandom was released on bail on condition that she could be called up at any time to appear before the state Counsel as investigation on her involvement in the Anglophone struggle and her siding with the separatists was still ongoing. Family sources hinted that it was when their daughter was hospitalised at the Bafoussam hospital following pains sustained during her detention that they made arrangements for her to leave the country. The killing of one of her best and closest cousins, Victorine, by the military on January 20, 2023 for not providing concrete information about the whereabouts of Fon Synthia Asandom and coupled with news of a pending warrant against her, caused Fon Synthia Asandom to finally go underground.
At press time family sources confirmed that her whereabouts remains cloudy even though security operatives keep making rounds around their neighbourhood just to apprehend her.
It should be recalled following the recent extrajudicial killings, burning of houses with the increase in the number of Internally Displaced Persons, IDP’s in the North West and South West Regions, the government has re-launched the man hunt of alleged Anglophone activists and many innocent civilians have equally been listed for arrest to be persecuted and face prosecution.
The situation of Maccolins Ewoukap Nfongock, a Microbiology graduate from the University of Buea and a Laboratory Technician of the Kosala Integrated Health Centre, in Kumba II Sub Division of Meme Division one of the restive zones in the ongoing Anglophone crisis before going underground to an unknown destination since March 2019 remains pathetic as government is bent on tracking him.
Reports say at the heat of the crisis in January 2019, elements of the Cameroon Armed Forces, the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR, attacked their Mulango, neigbourhood in Fiango, Kumba II Sub Division following a tipoff that his younger brother, a separatist fighter had come to pay him a visit.
The BIR officers, following this information, stormed their residence one evening shortly after Maccolins Ewoukap had returned from work and opened fire in the entire neighbourhood. Family sources hinted that, Maccolins Ewoukap Nfongock, alongside other youths, ran into the bushes for safety.
When Maccolins Ewoukap returned from the bush the following day to go to work, he discovered that the military had killed his younger brother. For fear of the unknown, taking into consideration that he might be tagged as a blackleg by the separatist fighters, for having betrayed them to the military and that the military might go after him for keeping a separatist fighter, and the consequences involved, he decided to relocate to Douala for safety.
The Sun Newspaper gathered that while in Douala a friend who was housing him became so afraid taking into consideration the risk involved in housing someone from the North West and South West Regions where the Anglophone armed conflict is ongoing and is being hunted by the military.
The friend thus assisted Maccolins Ewoukap to leave the country to a country where the respect for human rights is prime. Ever since Maccolins Ewoukap Nfongock disappeared from the country under cloudy circumstances, confrontations between the military and the separatists have intensified, while he still remains a target for the military. Family sources say the military keeps making impromptu checks around their neighbourhood. At press time Maccolins Ewoukap Nfongock had been declared wanted.
The war still rages on and many more killings by the military are still being 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 over them if arrested as they have been declared wanted.
Recently French president, Emmanuel Macron, promised to exert “maximum pressure” on President Paul Biya of Cameroon, to end Cameroon’s intolerable human rights violations.