Cameroon recorded a sharp rise in casualties linked to improvised explosive devices in 2025. Figures released on January 29, 2026, during the 16th session of the National Commission in charge of combating the use of IEDs show that 99 people were affected last year, compared with 19 in 2024, an increase of 421%.

The toll highlights the scale of the threat across the country. The North-West, South-West, and Far North regions accounted for most incidents, with 36, 30, and 33 victims respectively in 2025. The figures include civilians as well as members of the defense and security forces, underlining the indiscriminate nature of these homemade devices.

In the North-West and South-West, insecurity is linked to the sociopolitical crisis that began in late 2016 and escalated into an armed conflict in 2017 between separatist groups and state forces. In the Far North, pressure remains driven by incursions by Boko Haram since Cameroon declared war on the group in 2014. In these areas, IEDs have become “the weapon of choice for terrorist groups,” according to Brigadier General Elokobi Daniel Njock, central director for coordination at the National Gendarmerie.

In response to this trend, the commission, created in 2022 by the Presidency, issued several recommendations. These include strengthening the operational capacities of the defense and security forces through modern equipment for IED detection and neutralization, stepping up national and cross-border coordination, particularly in the Far North, to disrupt explosive supply networks, and improving medical care for the injured as well as psychosocial support for security personnel and affected communities.

Multilateral, bilateral, and subregional partners

In the fight against IEDs, Cameroon relies on multilateral, bilateral, and subregional partnerships. Working with the United Nations system, including the United Nations Mine Action Service, the country says it has obtained an initial UN level 1 certification in IED-related training.

France and the United States also support Cameroon through training and equipment. At the subregional level, engagement includes participation in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic and the Multinational Joint Task Force against Boko Haram.

Authorities also say the country has a specialized laboratory, dedicated IED neutralization equipment, and trained specialists who are regularly deployed nationwide and in external operations. They stress that countering IEDs is a permanent challenge requiring constant adaptation to armed groups’ tactics, ongoing strengthening of human and material capacities, and greater public awareness of the risks.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Norwegian courts extended the pretrial detention of Ayaba Cho Lucas by eight weeks in December 2025, pushing the deadline to Feb. 9, 2026. Authorities arrested the Cameroonian-born separatist leader in Oslo in September 2024. The decision places Ayaba Cho into his second consecutive year of provisional detention following a series of extensions.

Ayaba Cho Lucas, whose legal name is Cho Lucas Yabah, faces suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Norwegian investigators accuse him of directing massacre and assassination operations from Norway in Cameroon’s crisis-hit North-West and South-West regions.

Judge Bendik Bang Pedersen justified the continued detention by citing risks of evidence tampering and witness interference if authorities released the suspect. The court argued that these risks remained substantial given the nature and scope of the alleged offenses.

Since December, Norwegian judicial authorities have also expressed concerns over a possible escape attempt, according to Emmanuel Nsalai. Nsalai, an American lawyer of Cameroonian origin, initiated the legal proceedings.

Nsalai said prosecutors could indict Ayaba Cho by Jan. 31, 2026. He added that authorities could base the charges on complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and or acts of terrorism. A trial could open later this year if prosecutors move forward.

Source: Sbbc

Between January and December 2025, at least 269 access constraints were documented in the North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions, with two humanitarian workers injured during this period.

Humanitarian activities are not possible on Mondays, which are declared “ghost town” days, and during lockdowns imposed by non-State armed groups (NSAGs). NSAGs enforced several lockdowns across the NWSW regions, including one to disrupt National Day celebrations on 20 May, another to obstruct the start of the school year in September, and a third aimed at disrupting the October elections. Additionally, in July, localized lockdowns in Ngo-Ketunjia, Donga-Mantung, and Bui fur ther restricted humanitarian access to these divisions.

Particularly in the SW, humanitarian partners faced bureaucratic impediments, resulting in operational delays and some denials to implement humanitarian activities in cer tain areas. The most affected divisions remained Lebialem and Ndian.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) continued to be used by NSAGs, especially in the North-West (in particular in Bui and Momo), primarily to attack State security forces. Although humanitarian workers were not a direct target, the use of IEDs in highly populated areas and on main roads posed a risk for all civilians. At least 131 IED-related incidents were recorded, 97 in the NW and 34 in the SW.

Regarding attacks against education, 62 incidents were recorded in the NW and 19 in the SW. As for healthcare, 19 incidents were documented in the NW and one in the SW. Education-related incidents in the North-West remained consistently high throughout the year compared to the South-West, peaking sharply in the fourth quarter. In contrast, the South-West experienced fewer incidents overall, with occurrences more evenly distributed across all quarters.

A major challenge impacting the NWSW regions was persistent underfunding. This financial gap severely restricted the scale of humanitarian operations, hindering efforts to pre-position critical supplies, maintain sufficient staffing, and invest in the logistical and security measures required to overcome access constraints.

Culled from reliefweb

Grief remains acute in Gidado, a village in the Ndu municipality in Cameroon’s conflict-hit North-West region, following an attack overnight on January 14 that officially left 14 people dead, including women and children. Since the assault, the Mbororo community says it has been living in fear, amid kidnappings and other abuses.

On January 19, a delegation representing the community went to the Prime Minister’s Office at the Immeuble Étoile in Yaounde to raise its concerns with the government. The lamido of Didando, a traditional leader, described persistent insecurity. “Several members of the Mbororo community have since been kidnapped and released for ransom, or simply killed,” he said, adding that they were also “victims of all kinds of looting.”

In response, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute condemned what he described as a “barbaric act” and announced full state support for the victims. The government also pledged to assist “all Mbororo families in distress” and to reinforce security in the region, according to statements reported after the meeting.

For the delegation, the exchange was presented as an important signal after years of violence. “We are republicans and we support the institutions. That is why we came here to bring this situation to the attention of the government,” representatives said before leaving the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mboscuda calls for probe into repeated attacks

The meeting follows earlier alerts from the Mbororo Social and Cultural Development Association (Mboscuda). The day after the attack, the organization issued a statement condemning what it described as “targeted, repeated” violence, including kidnappings for ransom and killings affecting its members.

Mboscuda says it has compiled statistics pointing to hundreds of victims and significant material losses. Its secretary general, Oumarou Sanda, has called on the government “to open an investigation” to identify those responsible and bring them before the courts.

Since late 2016, Cameroon’s English-speaking North-West and South-West regions have been affected by armed violence between government forces and separatist groups. In this context, long-standing land tensions between Mbororo Fulani herders and farmers from other ethnic groups have also contributed to insecurity.

Amnesty International France has noted that “Mbororo Fulani are perceived as supporting the authorities and, as such, are particularly targeted by armed separatists.” The Mbororo community is now awaiting concrete action from the state to restore security, prevent further attacks, and allow a return to more stable daily life.

Source: Business in Cameroon

The fate of the ten detained Ambazonian leaders, widely known as the NERA 10, will be decided on March 19, 2026, after Cameroon’s Supreme Court on January 15 concluded hearings in their long-running appeal case and adjourned proceedings for the delivery of judgment.

The hearing lasted nearly three hours, as defence lawyers urged the country’s highest court to grant liberty to the appellants, led by Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe. While the court did not issue a substantive ruling at the close of arguments, defence counsel cautiously welcomed what they described as a modest indication of judicial openness.

The legal team representing the appellants was led by veteran lawyer Barrister Eta Besong Jr., with prominent advocate Akere Muna among the counsel, alongside six other attorneys. Their submissions focused on challenging the legality of the proceedings that led to the life sentences handed down by a military tribunal in 2019, as well as the broader constitutional and human rights implications of the case.

At the end of the session, the presiding judge adjourned the matter to March 19, 2026, when the Supreme Court is expected to deliver its judgment.

The NERA 10 are central figures in the separatist movement that emerged in the North West and South West regions. They were arrested in Abuja, Nigeria, in January 2018 and subsequently extradited to Cameroon under circumstances that drew criticism from rights groups and international observers. Their extradition and trial have remained at the heart of persistent debates over due process and judicial independence.

In 2019, a military tribunal sentenced the group to life imprisonment on charges including terrorism, secession and hostility against the state. Since then, their lawyers have consistently argued that the military court lacked jurisdiction to try civilians and that the proceedings violated both Cameroonian law and international legal standards. These arguments form the basis of the appeal now before the Supreme Court.

The latest hearing follows an earlier adjournment on December 18, 2025, when the Supreme Court deferred the case to January 2026, further extending an already protracted legal process. At the time, defence lawyers warned against repeated delays, insisting that “justice deferred must not become justice denied.”

Source: panafricanvisions

The Yaoundé Military Court in Cameroon’s political capital has delivered a landmark judgment in the long-running trial over the 2020 Ngarbuh massacre, finding three members of the Cameroonian armed forces and one local Fulani militiaman guilty of murder, arson and destruction of property.

The verdict delivered on January 15, 2026, relates to the killing of 23 civilians, including 15 children and two pregnant women, during a military operation in the village of Ngarbuh, in Ntumbaw, Ndu subdivision of the North West Region. While the court has established the guilt of the accused, sentencing has been deferred to a later date.

The ruling is being widely described as historic, marking one of the rare instances in which members of state security forces have been held criminally responsible for grave human rights abuses committed during the Anglophone Crisis. For years, military operations and the actions of allied militias in separatist-affected areas have largely gone unpunished, fueling accusations of impunity.

The Ngarbuh massacre occurred on February 14, 2020, at the height of the conflict between government forces and English-speaking separatist groups seeking an independent state known as Ambazonia. According to investigations by human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, government troops accompanied by local Fulani vigilantes entered the village and deliberately targeted civilians.

Witnesses reported that homes were burned, property looted, and residents beaten, with no evidence of a significant clash with armed separatists at the time of the attack. The killings shocked both national and international opinion, drawing condemnation from rights groups, foreign governments and the United Nations.

Initially, Cameroonian authorities denied responsibility, claiming the deaths resulted from an accidental explosion during a confrontation with separatist fighters. However, mounting pressure forced President Paul Biya to establish a commission of inquiry, which later acknowledged that “uncontrolled” soldiers and local auxiliaries were responsible for the killings and had attempted to destroy evidence by setting houses ablaze.

The trial opened in December 2020 before the Yaoundé Military Court but was repeatedly delayed, raising concerns about the authorities’ willingness to fully address abuses committed by security forces. Proceedings were marked by slow progress, procedural concerns and limited involvement of victims’ families, prompting criticism from civil society groups and human rights advocates.

Despite these challenges, Thursday’s convictions have been welcomed as an important though incomplete step toward accountability. Many observers note that only low-ranking soldiers and a single militiaman were convicted, while questions remain about the role of senior commanders and the chain of command behind the operation.

Human Rights Watch reacted cautiously to the verdict, describing it as a partial advance toward justice while stressing that accountability should extend to all those responsible, including those who planned or authorised the operation. The organisation’s Central Africa researcher, Ilaria Allegrozzi, has consistently argued that justice will remain unfinished unless higher-ranking officials implicated in the massacre are also investigated and prosecuted.

For families of the victims, the judgment represents long-awaited recognition of the suffering endured by innocent civilians in the North West and South West regions.

Source: panafricanvisions