A military court in Cameroon has acquitted five workers with French medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) a year after they were charged with assisting a suspected separatist rebel, MSF said on Friday.

The ruling was handed down on December 29 but had not been made public, the NGO’s lawyer, Edouard Essono, told AFP.

“All five were given the benefit of the doubt and acquitted,” Essono said.

The incident occurred on December 27, 2021, when two local MSF employees were stopped at a traffic checkpoint in western Cameroon, a mainly English-speaking region where armed separatists have clashed with government security forces for the past six years.

Soldiers discovered in their ambulance a man suffering from a bullet wound who MSF said needed “urgent care”.

The two were arrested and jailed in Buea, capital of the Southwest region, and two other Cameroonian employees were detained later.

The authorities searched for a fifth MSF worker, an Indian national, but he managed to leave the country.

Of the five, two of whom were women, two were released on bail in May 2022, another in November, and the last on December 30.

“MSF has always defended the work of its staff and categorically denied any complicity with armed groups or stakeholders in any violent conflict,” the group said in a statement to AFP.

The NGO halted its operations in Southwest Cameroon in July 2022 and did not say if these would resume after the acquittals.

The government suspended the charity’s work in neighbouring Northwest Cameroon, also majority English-speaking, in late 2020, accusing its medical teams of aiding and abetting armed separatists.

Civilians have been the main victims of the fighting between Anglophone separatists and security forces.

More than 6,000 people have died and more than a million others forced from their homes since 2016, according to the International Crisis Group.

The arrests were the latest of several challenges for MSF in the troubled country.

In February 2022, five MSF aid workers were kidnapped in Cameroon’s Far North region, which is regularly targeted by jihadist insurgents. They were released in March in neighbouring Nigeria.

Source: AFP

Militants, suspected to Black Marine of Biafra Nations League (BNL), have reportedly killed two Cameroonian soldiers.

The members of the militant group on Thursday were reportedly travelling toward Ikang near Nigeria’s borders when members of the Cameroon’s Rapid d’intervention Battalion (BIR) started shooting a short distance away.

According to a source, the militants retaliated by shooting one BIR and killing two BIR.

They returned to the Abana waterfront, where the Cameroon flag was flying, and fired randomly before lowering it and hoisting the Biafran flag around the voting booth.

This was not the first time BNL would attack Cameroon Brigade d’Intervention Rapide, BIR in Bakassi.

In May 2021, they engaged in a fierce gun battle at Isangele, Bakassi Peninsula area.

The gun battle reportedly left some members of the BIR dead.

The BNL Chief Head of Operations, Henry Edet, confirmed the attack in a brief statement saying, “Militant group loyal to BNL and Cameroon forces exchanged fire in Isangele, Bakassi Peninsula.”

He claimed the “Two Cameroon BIR dropped dead during an exchange of gunfire in Bakassi Peninsula.”

Recall that the BNL had recently revealed its plans to completely shut down the Gulf of Guinea, threatening to hoist the Biafran flag.

The group said it would carry out its threat of hoisting the Biafran flags in Bakassi Peninsula to mark the Biafra Day memorial.

Source: Sahara Reporters

Separatist activism is likely to continue in the Southwest and Northwest regions of Cameroon through at least mid-2023. The threat of violence remains elevated in the English-speaking regions as various armed groups continue to call for secession, highlighting the dangers for those operating or traveling in the impacted areas. The situation has remained tense since October 2017, when secessionists unilaterally proclaimed the independence of the so-called state of Ambazonia, which is unrecognized internationally.

Security-related operations are ongoing. Checkpoints and searches of vehicles and personnel are likely, particularly outside major cities such as Buea (Southwest) and Bamenda (Northwest). Authorities may enact temporary security measures such as curfews and telecommunication restrictions without notice in the event of significant violence or unrest.

Context

Various armed groups operate in the region, such as the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF), which is also plagued by banditry and other criminal activities.

Security forces frequently skirmish with Ambazonia secessionist militants (also called “Amba boys”), regularly leading to casualties. Separatists have carried out ambushes targeting security forces and government officials involving improvised explosive devices. There are also reports of militant abuses, including kidnappings and killings, against the local population. Militants often issue stay-at-home orders (also known as “ghost cities”); residents who do not comply with such measures may face intimidation and violence.

While many kidnappings go unreported, it is estimated that dozens to hundreds of people are kidnapped each year in both the Northwest and Southwest regions. Targets notably include prominent members of civil society, politicians, security forces, teachers, and priests, among others. Militants may target foreign nationals due to their perceived worth in the event of a ransom demand. High-profile individuals have been kidnapped in recent months, including a senator and her driver, who were seized by ADF militants in Bamenda April 30. Security forces released several hostages, including the senator, during a military operation in Ashong (Northwest) May 30. The operation killed a dozen kidnappers and detained three others, while weapons and explosive materials were also seized. The Bakassi Peninsula (officially part of Cameroon) also hosts many oil-related operations attracting criminals and militants who seek to kidnap oil workers, aiming for a higher ransom.

Culled from Garda