BY LUSY LIMA
Within the context of the ongoing socio-political impasse in Cameroon, especially in the restive North West and South West English-speaking Regions in Cameroon, the United States Department of States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour published a 45-page document on Cameroon’s 2018 Human Rights Report wherein they highlighted the worsening human rights Situation in Cameroon.
It indicated that about 3,000 civilian lives have been claimed by the armed conflict, and about 730,000 displaced, with many living horrible lives in neigbouring Nigeria.
The present situation of killings and burning down of houses in the English-speaking regions has kept many residents of the regions in dire straits. Many international bodies have called for an inclusive and frank dialogue to seek solution to the crisis, without which every life will continue to be threatened as presently, those caught by the system are standing trial before the military tribunal in Yaounde on charges on terrorism, secession, and propagation of false information.
The North West and South West regions have remained restive since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in 2017. Investigative findings and reports from many human rights groups and non-governmental organisations have condemned extrajudicial killings, by mostly the military, on innocent civilians including children and pregnant women, and the burning of houses.
The Cameroon Government has, for over four years now, been battling to arrest the situation but tensions continue to intensify with civilian population in the North West and South West Regions living in peril, panic and pandemonium. Due to this confusion, and fear of the unknown, many youths and businessmen continue to go underground. Government has equally launched a manhunt for alleged activists siding with separatists. The activists abound and a list bearing the names of these alleged activists are already making rounds in the hands of the military as they have been placed under military searchlight and declared wanted.
A pathetic case is that of a Bamenda-based 33-year-old welder, whose name THE SUN got as Sama Clauduis Fred. Reports hold that Sama Clauduis Fred, just like many innocent Anglophone youths in the restive North West and South West Regions, saw himself entangled with the crisis and decided to go underground since July 2023.
His whereabouts by press time remains, according to family sources. Security searchlights have since been focused on Sama. He has been harassed, molested severally by military who tagged him as an Ambazonia boy. Matters became worse for Sama when one of his cousins working with the state secret intelligence service in Yaounde informed him that he has been tagged as an Amazonia spy and cautioned him to be very careful.
Issues also aggravated for Sama when President Paul Biya announced as candidature for the next Presidential elections, provoking sporadic gun exchange between Ambazonia fighters and the military in Bamenda.
This unfortunate situation caused the military to raid neighbours in search of suspected Ambazonia fighters. In the course of this military raid, Sama’s residence was ransacked. He was well beaten, went unconscious and only discovered himself at the emergence unit of the hospital.
This is how Sama started facing challenges in the hands of the military in all the towns he went to for safety.
He is said to have later been by a close friend who works at the judicial police that his name is making rounds within the government circle that he is fabricating weapons for the separatist since he is a welder and that his is equally a strong associate of the freedom fighters.
It should be recalled that another pathetic case is that of Djoumbiessi Evan Tumta, also a welder by profession. Djoumbiessi is said to have joined the Southern Cameroons National Council, SCNC, a pressure group advocating for the restoration of the independence of former British Southern Cameroons. The movement is expressing frustration because of the marginalisation and constant human rights violations by the Republic of Cameroon on the people of former British Southern Cameroons, constituting present day North West and South West regions.
THE SUN gathered that immediately Djoumbiessi Evan Tumta joined the SCNC in June 2014, he suffered several arbitrarily arrests, torture and placed under custody in harsh inhumane conditions from 2017 to 2018.
Djoumbiessi Evan Tumta was then placed under security searchlight and declared wanted by the state since 2019 and his whereabouts has remained cloudy, according to family sources.
Reports say Djoumbiessi Evan Tumta was amongst Southern Cameroonian youths and activists who were frequently arrested, tortured molested and detained for constantly sensitising the masses on the Southern Cameroons problem as well as distributing tracts and flyers to students and the public, calling on them to boycott both the National Youth Day celebration that usually takes places on February 11 each year and the National Day celebration that usually takes place on May 20.
They were also equally organising peaceful demonstrations on the celebration of the Southern Cameroons Independence Day which is usually celebrated every October 1, all in a bid to mount pressure on the Yaounde regime to allow Former British Southern Cameroons restore its independence.
With this numerous accusations on Djoumbiessi, taking into consideration that his name was in the database of security operatives in the country as one of the activists clamouring for the separation of Cameroon, he had no other option than to leave the country. This followed advise from his friends and relatives who witnessed how those linked to separatist fighters’ activities have been molested and finally jailed in the likes of Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, Barrister Eyambe, Tasssang Wilfred, Nfor Ngala Nfor and many others including journalists, lawyers, businessmen, medical personnel and students.
As we went to press, Djoumbiessi Evan Tumta had been declared wanted by the government.
The country is now considered unsafe by many Anglophones in the diaspora who fear arrest or death if they return to the country.
While the Anglophone crisis continues to escalate, international organisations and other western powers have called on the Government to address the root cause of the crisis through dialogue. Also, prominent Anglophone lawyer and human rights activist, Barrister Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla, has called on the Government to dialogue, and to release all Anglophones unlawfully detained and imprisoned.
The war still rages on and many more killings by the military are still being documented by rights organisations. The government has launched a manhunt for those alleged to be fanning the crisis both at home and abroad.