By ELAH GEOFREY MBONGALE
The escalating crisis in the North West and South West regions of the country has shifted gears over the weekend with unending episodes of gun battles between gunmen believed to be separatist fighters and the military on multiple fronts.
These clashes were accentuated by brutal killings, lootings, burning of civilian homes as well as abductions. Civilians have been caught in the crossfire leading to untold suffering. Many are now internally displaced and have left their communities for the (dis)comfort of the bushes.
Munyenge and Bafia, both localities under Muyuka sub-division in Fako witnessed serious clashes over the weekend between separatists and the military. The population deserted the villages while the unfortunate ones were either caught by bullets or arrested by the military.
A particular case caught the attention of the public after a video surfaced on social media showing a helpless middle-aged man struggling on the ground with a leg that had apparently been shattered by bullets. The young man would be indentified as Michael Modika, a deaf and dump in Munyenge who was obviously oblivious of what was happening when he strayed into the path of military bullet.
Modika was trapped in the village as the military reportedly blocked all movements of cars and persons in and out of Munyenge-Muyuka.
Modika sadly had his leg amputated almost 48 hours later owing to the delayed medical attention to it as the leg was rotting off. He is now under very intensive medical care at a certain health unit in Kumba under the care and supervision of the Ayah Foundation-A foundation that has been coming to the aid of victims of the Anglophone crisis.
In Bafia, a locality close to Munyenge, some of the villagers who had fled into the forest after the military invasion returned to a scourged village. Several houses were set ablaze, reportedly by the military.
Another video surfaced over the weekend of what could be seen as military officers setting a house on fire in a locality that has now been identified as Azi in Lebialem.
Government is yet to make a statement regarding the video which many have quickly attributed to the Cameroon military which has been accused in the past of setting other villages on fire like in Kwa Kwa, Bole and other areas.
Separatists have also been accused in the past of setting public structures like schools, control posts and police stations ablaze.
Serious clashes were also reported in other areas like Wabane in Lebialem, Nyasoso in Kupe Muanenguba, Bekora near Lobe in Ndian in the South West region with casualties reportedly recorded on both sides.
In Bali, in the North West region, a military commander and a soldier were reportedly killed by armed men claiming to be separatists.
Reports which The SUN could not immediately verify suggests that the supposed separatists stole a goat and plantains belonging to a local. The person then reported the matter to security forces. When the military commander and another officer tried to intervene in the matter, they were reportedly ambushed and killed.
The man who reported the goat and plantain theft is said to have been arrested for further questioning meanwhile the killers are at large.
The incident forced the population of Bali to flee to other parts and into the bushes for fear of being victims of military reprisal.
In Kom, a Catholic priest, Principal of St. Bede’s college was reportedly abducted on Monday, April 30 when he was at mass with his students in Ashinkom.
St. Bede’s was the only college still effective in the area. The principal’s abduction has forced the lone operational school in the area to close as parents poured in after the news to collect their kids.