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

A group of prominent Southern Cameroons traditional rulers say they are extremely concerned about the deteriorating security situation in Manyu Division.

In a letter addressed recently to the Francophone civil administrator in Mamfe, chiefs from Akwaya Sub Division observed that the entire Manyu Division is facing a lot of problems everywhere – in Upper Banyang banditry, in Eyumojock kidnapping; in Mamfe Central terror and in Akwaya killings. The traditional rulers furthered that the secession movement in Manyu is growing at an alarming proportion.

The letter came barely four days after the ailing President Biya claimed during a televised address to the nation that security in Anglophone Cameroon was gradually improving.

Cameroon Concord News gathered that Ambazonia Restoration Forces raided several villages in the Anyang Court Area including Bache where three people were reportedly killed.

Cameroon government sources in Akwaya confirmed the Bache raids and added that Chief Prof. Abangma’s palace was set ablaze. Those killed were identified as Pa Jonas Ekwale Abang aged 79, 58-year-old Ebai Ashu John and Esua Desmond Kajang.

Our correspondent in Mamfe who contributed to this report pointed out that gunmen also attacked Ebinsi and Bakem villages.

Mamfe, the chief town in Manyu Division is currently struggling to cope with the huge influx of displaced persons coming from villages in Akwaya Sub Division.

By Kingsley Betek

Southern Cameroonians living in parts of Calabar and in other refugee camps in Cross River State have mocked their country’s authorities as well as its military forces for always parading the bodies of Ambazonian separatist forces killed.

Early in the week, there were reports in the international media about how the Cameroonian authorities have neutralised leaders of Ambazonia with their bodies displayed in public.

The Cameroonians said it was a shame that Paul Biya’s government has been unable to contain the might and prowess of the so-called Ambazonian fighters in the southwest part of Cameroon.

The Cameroon nationals, many of whom had fled the restive regions of that country into the safety of Nigeria, boast that their struggle has inflicted far more casualties on Biya’s forces.

Edward Mbe Areey, a refugee in Ogoja, bragged that there are hundreds of separatist forces fighting for Ambazonia’s sovereignty.

“If you know the number of our forces in the bush you will be stunned. We have many fighting forces and groups which have camps in the forests. How many times have Amba Boys paraded the bodies of Biya’s men brought down by our gallant men? But when they succeed to kill one of our leaders they will make a big show of it, inviting world media houses to share the pictures on social media,” he said.

According to him, their boys are effectively in charge of the ‘Ambazonian Territory’.

Another refugee, Tim Orue, who travels often from his part of Cameroon to Cross River State, said it is very risky to travel through to the Mfum border near Ikom, a cocoa town in central Cross River.

“When we meet the Amba boys on the way, they will collect what they call ‘supports’ and allow us to move on. But there are days they would declare total lockdown so that it becomes very dangerous to move in the troubled territory,” he narrated.

An estimated 500,000 Cameroonians, including refugees, live in parts of Cross Rivers State, with a vast majority of them without means of identification, and resident permits, but still moving about without hindrance.

By Queen Besumbu Agbaw

A soldier has been killed and another wounded in an ambush by jihadis in Cameroon’s Far North, military and local sources said Friday.

The attack happened on Thursday in the town of Ldaoussaf in a region troubled by jihadi insurgents, the two sources told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“An army patrol was ambushed,” a senior army officer said, adding that a soldier had been killed and another injured. “The assailants fled with weapons.”

A local authority representative who also asked to remain anonymous confirmed the toll.

The Far North is a tongue of land that lies between Nigeria to the west and Chad to the east.

Nigeria’s Boko Haram and its dissident branch, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), have in recent years carried out deadly attacks against security forces and civilians in northern Cameroon, as well as adjacent parts of Nigeria, Niger and Chad.

Boko Haram launched an insurgency in northeast Nigeria in 2009 before it spread through the region.

More than 36,000 people have been killed since, mainly in Nigeria, and 3 million people have fled their homes, the United Nations says.

Source: VOA