By Ayuketang Blessing
As the Anglophone crisis continues to rock Cameroon’s North West and South West regions, the population of these two troubled regions has continued to suffer untold hardship, pain and stress. Many individuals who hitherto resided in the regions have fled to safer parts in the country as well as out of the country, due to the fact that helpless civilians are always often caught in between the tension between elements of the Cameroon military and armed fighters of the Ambazonia struggle.
For those who continue to reside in the regions, fear and uncertainty continues to plague their lives day in, day out. Wherever the separatist fighters have dared to host their camp, such an area has paid dearly, as the military had often acted with a heavy hand, in a bid to get rid of the group. Intimidation, arrests, torture and touching of houses have been the order of day in many of such areas.
One of such areas which once mentioned, swells up fear in the minds of many is Wotutu village located in Buea sub division. The tension in Wotutu is rife, as it hosts a military post, planted to combat armed separatists, said to be located in the area. As a result of this situation, many inhabitants of Wotutu have had to flee for their lives, abandoning their homes and farms, due to the constant gunshots, tensions and harassments they witness daily.
One of such individuals who have greatly suffered the transferred aggression of elements of the Cameroon military is Motombi Efosi Mea Chris Ann, who has had to pay for the actions of one Estibus Awambeng, an alleged separatist fighter. The said Awambeng, an orphan brought up by Motombi Efosi, had been separated from Efosi at least eight years ago and has been living his life far from her, The SUN gathered. However, Motombi Efosi together with her son ADE, were repeatedly summoned to provide information on Awambeng. Following the various summons which took place in February 2017 and again in July 2019 at the Bojongo Gendarmerie Brigade and Central Police Station Buea respectively, Efosi and her son have remained targets of the military, who continues to suspect them to be in contact with Awambeng. The family has had to suffer huge material losses, as they fled and abandoned their Wotutu residence following gunshots. Reports say while they fled for safety, their action was interpreted by the military as signifying their guilt. As the search for Efosi and her son (with Careen, his pregnant fiancée) continued, the house in Batoke village, in Limbe where they sought refuge was torched and Efosi picked up and tortured, while her son and pregnant fiancée succeeded to escape to an unknown destination for refuge. After repeatedly confessing her innocence, Efosi was abandoned along the road with injuries.
With fear and insecurity across the South West region, The SUN gathered that Efosi later sought shelter from a local church while Ade and her fiancée sought refuge in Mbomboko village in Fako division.
Tension still characterize many localities in the restive regions, driving inhabitants on a continuous quest for safety either within or out of Cameroon.