As the crisis in the North West and South West Regions, which long escalated into an armed conflict, continues to take new twists, the government, through the defence and security forces, has intensified its pursuit for those suspected to be separatist activists, others accused of supporting and collaborating with the Ambazonia separatist fighters and those who are sympathetic to the separatist cause.

The military has also intensified its crackdown on members of the now outlawed Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC.

In this light, security and defence forces have been indiscriminately arresting all those suspected to be Ambazonia activists, collaborators and sympathisers and also persons suspected to have been taking part in activities organised by the SCNC.

Sources say the arrested persons are being tortured and detained under inhumane conditions. Some are reported to have died in detention.

For fear of their lives, many have fled and their whereabouts is not known. One of such is Ngah Dickson Yufonyuy, who is said to have joined the SCNC sometime in 2014. He is reported to have taken part in SCNC activities and also distributed gadgets such as posters, flyers, brochures, among others, carrying SCNC propaganda.

However, when the crisis took an ugly twist, sometime in 2018, Ambazonia separatist fighters threatened Ngah, who was a school administrative staff then. He was warned on the phone by separatist fighters that his hands will be chopped off  if he doesn’t stop working with the school since there was an imposed schools boycott by separatist fighters in the entire North West and South West regions.

For fear of his life, Ngah decided to abandon his teaching job and fled.

Meanwhile, in early 2019 when Ngah was visiting Ngendzen in Nkum Subdivision, Bui Division of the North West Region, where his mother lived, the military is said to have raided the village, burning down houses including that of Ngah’s mother. Some villagers were killed and others fled into the bushes for safety.

Ngah was seriously tortured by the soldiers and was later hospitalised.

But when he left the hospital, his ordeal was far from over. It later emerged that Ngah’s name was on a list produced by the military of wanted persons in Ngendzen village, especially supporters of the SCNC.

For fear of his life, Ngah is reported to have vamoosed and since then his whereabouts is not known.

However, we gathered that in May 2022, a warrant of arrest was issued for Ngah. If arrested, Ngah Dickson Yufonyuy will be tried in a military tribunal, under the 2014 anti-terrorism law, whose maximum punishment is the death sentence. That is if he is not killed outright, like many others who have been victims of extrajudicial killings within the context of the armed conflict in the North West and South West regions.

On the other hand, if separatist fighters lay hands on him, Ngah will definitely be killed, like many others who have been victims of atrocities committed by separatist fighters.

Flashback On Origin Of Crisis

It should be recalled 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 sub system of education.

Things, however, got worse 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 situation later escalated into an armed conflict when some Anglophones piked up arms, fighting for the independence of country they have named. Ambazonia.

The crisis has left thousands, both civilians and security and defence forces dead, some 700,000 displaced with some living in bushes while over 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Nigeria, where they are living as refugees.

Many houses, and even whole villages, have been burnt down in the crisis-hit regions.

The separatist leader of the self-declared Republic of Ambazonia, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, and eight other close associates of his, who were arrested in Nigeria and extradited to Cameroon, are currently at the Kondengui maximum security prison where they are serving life sentences. They were sentenced by the Yaounde military tribunal in August 2019 on charges including terrorism and secession.

Many other activists such as Mancho Bibixy, Penn Terrence, Tsi Conrad, among others, are serving jail terms at the Kondengui prison.

While the Anglophone crisis continues to escalate, international organisations and other western powers have called on the government to address the root cause through genuine and inclusive dialogue.

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More and more youths caught in the web of the ongoing armed conflict in the North West and South West are fleeing to safe havens and most especially where the respect of human rights is prime as political witch-hunting and scores-settling have taken centre stage.

Security operatives have been indiscriminately arresting innocent Anglophone youths and suspected activists. Sources say the arrested persons are being detained under deplorable and inhuman conditions. Some have reportedly died in detention.

In the face of all this, youths, activists are bearing the brunt of the unending Anglophone crisis and remain scapegoats. They are at the crossroad between the military and separatist fighters.

They have been considered as dangerous and threats to the public and declared wanted. The population has equally been urged to be vigilant and report to the closest gendarmerie or police stations. Those who have successfully escaped to countries where the respect of Human Rights is prime for protections, their names are still in the military database pending arrest and prosecution.

The case of Sinju Dickson Ngalia, just like many others, is extremely pathetic. Family sources say his whereabouts remains cloudy ever since he went underground in December 2024 and has been declared wanted.

THE SUN learnt that Sinju Dickson Ngalia, a poultry farmer resident in Ekombe, a village in Mbonge Subdivision, Meme Division of the South West Region and a driver plying the Ekondo- Titi – Buea highways is a victim of circumstances amidst the ongoing armed conflict that has cost many lives and many are now Internal Displaced Persons, IDPs.

In an effort to fish out separatist fighters in Mbonge Subdivision who have been causing havoc in the area, the military on May 15, 2024 intercepted Sinju at Ekombe and took his vehicle while he was transporting passengers to Buea from Ekondo –Titi. Sinju, just like any other denizen in the area, only got information that the vehicle was used to go and attack separatist fighters. Reports say on September 29, 2024 on the eve of the celebration of the supposed independence of the former British Southern Cameroons usually celebrated every October 1,  separatist fighters,  at gunpoint intercepted Sinju at Kwa –Kwa, Mbonge, took his vehicle went and attacked the military and abandoned the vehicle along the road.

We learnt that Sinju later on took his vehicle and continued with his daily routine until December 14, 2024 when his wife called him while he was in his farm, telling him that the military had raided their house, molested and torture the entire family including children and in an unfriendly tone are looking him.

For fear of the unknown, Sinju Dickson Ngalia decided to flee the country to an unknown destination. Since December 2024 his name remains the talk of the day within Cameroon Security Operatives. He has been declared wanted by the military and for fear of the unknown his whereabouts remains cloudy and the military keeps making impromptu checks around their neighbourhood in search of him.

As we went to press, the military had launched fresh pursuit for his arrest alongside many others for them to be prosecuted at the Yaounde Military Tribunal on charges of terrorism-related offences.

Reports say the crisis has caused many in the English-speaking regions to migrate to French-speaking towns and the cities in Cameroon, while others have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees. Government forces have engaged in extrajudicial killings, random looting, shooting, torture, molestation using disproportionate and discriminating force, abusing and arresting protesters, burning more than 200 villages, 500 houses, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, attacking hospitals beating and raping women and girls.

According to the Cameroon Penal Code if arrested Sinju will face charges of acts of terrorism, insurrection, hostilities against the state, and failure to report.

The Anglophone crisis began 2016 with the teachers’ and lawyers’ strikes, which later attracted the people of the two English-speaking regions of the country, as they said their accumulated grievances emanated from marginalisation by the majority French-speaking part of Cameroon, inequality in employment, adulterations of the judicial and sub educational systems.

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