BY ALICE NJI
Since the start of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, civilians are frequently accused by both armed separatist groups and state authorities of supporting opposing sides.
Extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests of Anglophones, burning down of houses, villages, by the military and sporadic exchange of gunfire between the military and separatist fighters and the imposition of ghost towns, lockdown on businessmen by separatist fighters have been frequent, leaving the population under crossfire.
Many have been fleeing for safe havens as untold suffering and pains on the population is the order of the day.
The case of 39- year-old Ngwa Frances Nchangnwi, a worker with a financial institution in Kumba, Meme Division of the South West Region illustrates how such accusations can expose individuals to sustained and nationwide risk. This has put her in a fixed situation described by many as being in-between the devil and deep blue sea, with no option than to run for safety.
At press time, Ngwa Frances Nchangnwi, a mother of three, was reported to have gone into hiding and her whereabouts remained cloudy since Friday May 8, 2026, when she reportedly received information from a military officer, a client of their financial institution, that a group of soldiers from Buea will raid her residence, arrest and whisky her to Buea where she will never be released.
THE SUN gathered that the military has accused her for siding and collaborating with separatist fighters.
It should be noted that anybody suspected of having any links with separatist fighters are targeted by security forces and are at times eliminated without trial.
Family sources hinted that both Ngwa Frances and some military officers who happen to be customers of her financial institution usually meet every Saturday for sporting activities in a sports complex just a stone’s throw to her residence and thereafter the military usually offer her a lift to her home. Because of this, separatist fighters took advantage of and sometime on February 25, 2026 kidnapped her in her home shortly after she returned from work and whisked her to their hideout where she was molested on allegations that she is a spy for the military.
THE SUN learnt that Ngwa Frances was freed from captivity after a ransom of 3million FCFA was paid by her husband on condition that 2million FCFA was to be paid later.
When the military learnt of this, they are said to have launched a manhunt for Ngwa Frances. She was arrested on March 5, 2026 and interrogated for not disclosing the information about her abduction by the separatist fighters to security operatives, thus concluding that she is siding and collaborating with separatist fighters.
Reports say Ngwa Frances was later released.
She has been declared wanted by the military and soldiers are doubling efforts to arrest and prosecute her any moment she is arrested.
This case is not isolated. Since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in late 2016, human rights organisations and independent monitors have documented thousands of arrests, detentions, and enforced disappearances in the North West and South West Regions.
Many detainees have reportedly been accused of separatist links without formal charge, while civilians perceived as insufficiently supportive of separatist groups have faced abduction, killing, and forced displacement by separatist fighters. Numerous individuals named on wanted lists are reported to have gone into hiding or fled into exile, with family homes repeatedly raided by security forces.
The case Ngwa Frances Nchangnwi reflects this broader pattern, in which civilians, perceived as non-aligned, face serious harm from both state and non-state actors, and where effective state protection or safe internal relocation remains largely unavailable.