Following the recent visit of His Holiness Pope Leo, tensions in Southern Cameroons have escalated once again, marking a troubling return to violence in the English speaking regions of Cameroon. Several reports indicate that armed clashes have resumed, resulting in the deaths of at least 14 civilians in Ndzerem-Nyam village and 2 government soldiers in Big Babanki.

The resurgence of conflict highlights the fragility of peace efforts and the deep-rooted divisions that continue to fuel unrest between separatist groups and state forces. Civilians remain particularly vulnerable, often caught in the crossfire as hostilities intensify.

Despite hopes that the Pope’s visit might encourage dialogue and reconciliation, the renewed violence underscores the ongoing challenges facing any lasting resolution. Observers continue to call for increased international attention and meaningful negotiations to prevent further loss of life and stabilize the region.

Two Cameroonian soldiers were killed on Friday in an ambush by Ambazonia Restoration Forces at a security checkpoint in Big Babanki in the Tubah subdivision.

Local media reported an increase in attacks on civilians and security forces in the region in recent weeks.

Cameroon has been experiencing an armed separatist conflict in its English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest since 2017, as separatists seek to create a new nation known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

By Fon Lawrence in Bamenda

Fresh details have emerged over the April 26 military operation in Ndzerem-Nyam village, in Cameroon’s North-West Region, with conflicting accounts deepening concerns over what exactly transpired during the raid.

While the Ministry of Defense Cameroon maintains that all those killed were armed fighters, the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa says civilians were among the victims.

According to official communication, security forces carried out a targeted operation against separatist elements, leading to the deaths of 14 individuals described as “terrorists” who allegedly opened fire on troops.

However, CHRDA presents a different picture. The organisation reports that several of those killed were civilians caught in the violence. Among those cited are individuals said to have had no direct involvement in hostilities, including workers and residents present in the village at the time.

‎Operation during cultural gathering

The incident reportedly unfolded in the early hours of the morning, at a time when the community was hosting a cultural event. Sources indicate that both armed separatists and civilians were present, a factor that may have complicated the situation on the ground.

An exchange of gunfire is said to have occurred after security forces moved into the area, though the exact sequence of events remains unclear due to the absence of an independent account.

Property destruction and rising tensions

Beyond the loss of life, the rights group also points to the destruction of civilian property, including houses and motorcycles allegedly set ablaze during the operation.

‎‎The incident is believed to have occurred due to the heightened tensions between neighbouring communities, with reports of disputes linked to the organisation of the cultural festival. These underlying frictions may have contributed to the volatile environment in which the raid took place.

CHRDA has condemned the killings and is calling for a transparent and impartial investigation to establish the facts. Its president, Agbor Nkongho, urged authorities to ensure accountability and clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths.‎

Source: lebledparle

Nine migrants from four African countries arrived this week in Cameroon after being expelled from the United States, part of a deal between the two countries, one of their lawyers told AFP on Thursday.

The deportees arrived Wednesday and were from Ghana, Angola, Ethiopia and Congo-Brazzaville.

Cameroon is among several African countries that have agreed in recent months to participate in a controversial scheme allowing the United States to send undocumented migrants to third countries when there are impediments to sending them to their own country.

The six women and three men who arrived Wednesday were part of the third such flight since January, joining the seventeen immigrants previously deported by the United States to Cameroon, Alma David, a US immigration lawyer, told AFP.

Joseph Awah Fru, a Cameroonian lawyer who followed the first two groups after their arrival in Yaoundé, confirmed the arrival of this third flight on Wednesday to AFP. According to the New York Times, Washington is paying Cameroon $30 million to be part of the scheme.

The other African countries to have reached similar agreements are Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, Eswatini and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Most of these immigrants are prevented from deportation to their own country by the US justice system due to safety concerns, and are therefore sent to a third country, which can then expel them.

Of the seventeen people previously deported to Cameroon, four have been sent to their countries of origin: Morocco, Angola, and Senegal.

US courts had ruled that two Moroccan women’s fears for their safety should they return to Morocco were well-founded.

But after being sent back, they are now living there in hiding, according to Awah.

The thirteen others, who are staying at a centre run by Cameroonian authorities in conjunction with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), will be able to apply for asylum in Cameroon if they wish.

In September, Human Rights Watch stated that these expulsions under “opaque agreements” violated international law and should be rejected.

Source: AFP

The Cameroonian armed forces killed 14 people it called “terrorists,” in the country’s volatile northwest, the defense ministry said.

Cameroon’s two anglophone regions have suffered almost a decade of armed violence following attempts to secede from the rest of the mostly French-speaking central African country.

In a statement released Thursday, Cameroon’s defense ministry said its security forces had neutralized 14 people in the town of Ndzerem-Nyam, in the northwest, on Sunday.

It said soldiers took an “appropriate and professional response” after “heavily armed terrorists opened heavy fire”.

“Several weapons of war” and “improvised explosive devices” were seized, the ministry added, claiming the casualties were “dangerous terrorists”.

African Conscience, an NGO, condemned in a statement on Monday what it called the “brutal killings of at least 14 persons, mostly unarmed civilians” after the military interrupted a cultural ceremony.

It refuted the claim that those killed had been armed, said only a few were separatists, and called on the government to launch an independent investigation.

On a visit to the region in April, Pope Leo XIV condemned an “endless cycle of destabilization and death”.

In 2020, soldiers killed at least 21 people, including pregnant women and children, in Ngarbuh, a village in the northwest.

Conflict erupted after President Paul Biya, who has ruled the central African country since 1982, violently put down peaceful demonstrations in 2016 by English speakers who felt marginalized.

Monitors estimate thousands of people have been killed in the subsequent violence between armed separatists and Cameroonian security forces.

Source: The Defense Post