By LUSY LIMA
As the crisis rocking the North West and South West regions, which has morphed into an armed conflict, continues to escalate, the government has stepped up its manhunt for Anglophone activists, separatists and suspected sympertisers of the Anglophone cause.
In this light, security operatives have been indiscriminately arresting activists and suspected activists as well as people considered to be sympertisers to the move by separatists who are fighting for the independence of what they have christened Republic of Ambazonia. The government’s crackdown has caused some of them to flee into hiding and the whereabouts of many is not known.
Sources say the arrested activists, separatists and sympertisers are being tortured and detained under horrendous and inhuman conditions. Some have reportedly died in detention.
One of those the security and defence forces are said to be on the lookout for is Mbah Raphael, who is a leader of the Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, in Batibo, Momo division of the North West region. When the first SCNC leader died, an old organisation of Anglophone activists, which was known as SCC, changed its name into SCNC because they wanted to take the role of SCNC.
The organisation, in October 2017, appointed Mbah Raphael as leader. He carried out activism in sensitising people about the Anglophone cause for independence both on the ground and on social media, particular Facebook, where he has many followers. It is said it was because of his huge number of followers on Facebook and his believe in the struggle that Mbah was appointed leader.
Because of his activism, Mbah Raphael was arrested several times. He was arrested in January 2017 in Bamenda, North West region while he was leading a demonstration by youths. Mbah is said to have been tortured and detained under horrible conditions. However, he was later set free after youths stormed the police station, protesting for his release.
This did not deter him from his activism. In October 2017, Mbah was again arrested. But while he was being taken away to be detained, he jumped from a military truck and escaped. A warrant of arrested was then issued for him.
In November 2017, he was again arrested, tortured and detained. But Mbah is said to have escaped from detention under unclear circumstances and his whereabouts is not known.
The government has launched a manhunt for him. If rearrested, Mbah Raphael will be tried in a military tribunal under the anti-terrorism law, whose maximum sentence is the death penalty. That is if he is not killed outright, like many others who have been victims of extrajudicial killings.
The defence and security forces recently released a list of other SCNC activists who are wanted. It includes, among others, Che Peter Fru, Ndive Thomas, Tabe Jones Ayuk, Ayamba James, Fon Charles Abumbi, Lyonga Mwambo Eric…
Origin of crisis
It is also worth recalling that the Anglophone crisis, something that pundits say had been brewing for several years, boiled over in 2016, when Common Law Lawyers in the North West and South West regions went on strike. They were demanding for the return of the federal system of government, redeployment of Civil Law Magistrates back to Civil Law Courts in French Cameroon, among other grievances. Not long after, teachers in the North West and South West regions also went on strike, demanding for the redress of several issues concerning the English system of education.
Things, however, got worst when Anglophones in both regions, who had been fed up with the unfavourable political and economic situation of the country, the use of French as the dominant and official language, and the marginalisation of the Anglophones, joined the strike.
The armed conflict has caused the deaths of many persons, both civilians, soldiers and separatist fighters. Thousands more are internally displaced with some living in bushes while several other thousands have fled to neighbouring Nigeria, where they are living as refugees.
While the Anglophone crisis continues to escalate, international organisations and other western powers have called on the government to address the root cause through dialogue.