Hundreds of Cameroonians have braved a heavy military presence and separatists’ threats to protest increasing violence and barbarism in the central African state’s restive English-speaking regions. The protest in the southwestern town of Muyuka was provoked by the killing of civilians and other brutality by the military, which is searching for separatists said to be responsible for a recent wave of attacks and murder of women and aid workers.

About 300 people, most of them women and children marched silently on the streets of Cameroon’s southwestern town of Muyuka Sunday. Twenty-nine-year-old Ernestine Naayah said Cameroon’s Womens Peace Movement, which she represents in Muyuka, and four other organizations organized the protest because they are fed up with growing violence in Cameroon’s English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions.

“I am out here today to say no to violence, to decry the killings of innocent civilians and especially women. Our cry today is for the leaders of the nation to do something about the crisis in the North and Southwest regions. We all deserve to live in peace in this glorious land God has given us,” she said.

Naayah said the groups organized the anti-violence protest in Muyuka because it is in the southwestern town that the latest gruesome case of murder was reported.

Gruesome killings

On August 11, Comfort Tumasang a 32-year-old mother of two was gruesomely murdered in Muyuka. A video her beheading went viral on social media, provoking widespread condemnation.

Comfort’s mother, 63-year-old Mary Tumasang, said separatists accused her daughter of collaborating with the military as an informant. She said she supports the protest because she wants peace to return to Cameroon. She said she wants her daughter’s killers arrested.

She said when separatists came to her home, her frightened daughter, Comfort, did not hesitate to hand over her telephone as the fighters requested. She said 30 minutes later, she watched helplessly as Comfort was forced out of the house to a neighborhood called Sandsand. She said in Sandsand, the fighters tied Comfort to a tree but residents raised an alarm and the fighters fled, taking her daughter along.

Comfort Tumasang was later found dead in a pool of her own blood. Thirteen other cases of gruesome killing were reported in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions.

Emmanuel Ledou Engamba, highest administrative officer in Muyuka’s Fako Division said the military has been deployed to restore peace. He said the troops have been instructed to arrest Tumasang’s killers.

“These criminals are going to be prosecuted, and actions have been undertaken to make sure that they are tracked down. I have extended the condolence message of the head of state [Cameroon’s President Paul Bya] to the bereaved family of late Mrs. Tumasang, who was brutally assassinated by criminals [separatist fighters],” he said.

The separatists say the military organizes some of the attacks on civilians to give fighters a bad name.

The military says separatists have resorted to attacking civilians because their fighters’ ability to attack has been greatly reduced by government troops.

The Cameroonian government, rights groups and embassies also blame separatist fighters for the increasing brutality and gruesome killing of civilians and aid workers.

Civilians say the military brutalizes populations as troops search for separatists suspected to have been responsible for the killings.

The military insists that its troops have remained professional.

The United Nations reports that Cameroon’s four-year separatist crisis has killed over 3,000 and displaced at least 500,000 others.

Source: VOA

The Biya Francophone regime in Yaoundé announced another bomb threat at the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform (MINFOPRA). French Cameroun media houses sponsored by the ruling CPDM crime syndicate reported that an improvised explosive device was discovered at the Ministry of Public Service and Administrative Reform at noon on Monday, 17 August 2020.

Security sources in Yaoundé revealed that the device was concealed in documents, but was discovered before it exploded. The buildings were evacuated.

Cameroon Intelligence Report undercover reporter visited the scene and we can now reveal that what the entire regime have been selling as bomb threats in the nation’s capital, ranges from plain fiction to the most absurd and the bomb threats are simply to keep the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in power.

Biya’s time as head of state is approaching its end and his Beti-Bulu kinsmen in the Secret Service are reporting fake bomb threats to try and delay it. Secret Service officers serving the ruling crime syndicate are disguising as BAS and Amba fighters and calling the police anonymously and reporting fake bomb threats.

Yaoundé have witnessed numerous bomb explosions and threats but no arrest has been made and no one has been jailed so far.  The Delegate General for National Security could not be reached for comment.

Making these false reports is doing more damage to the already battered economy but the regime is only interested in striking fear into the Yaoundé community.

By Rita Akana in Yaounde

The Events in Southern Cameroon (Ambazonians) deserve an immediate, urgent and serious intervention by the African Union Peace and Security Commission as well as the United Nations Security Council.

The Cameroonian French Troops are killing innocent civilians mercilessly. They apear to have intensified the killing methods. And one wonders what their Commander in Chief President Paul Biya is doing about. He must be brought to account for the killings according to international law.

The world cannot sit and watch the killings without intervention. For more than 4 years now, I have begged the world to intervene and create peace in Cameroon and give the English-Speaking country of Ambazonia their status that they got under Resolution 1608 of UN General Assembly.

Kenya, as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, must now take up the matter and ask for a cease-fire that restrain the forces from slaughtering innocent civilians because this has led to the displacement of hundreds or probably thousands, with women and children worst affected.

The USA must come in now and fulfill the promise of NO-FLY ZONE in that part of South Western Cameroon where the Yaoundé troops are killing, maiming, defiling, and raping young girls in front of their parents. Time is running out and Paul Biya must be brought to account.

After 42 years in power, Paul Biya and his family have looted and destroyed democracy in that country. They have looted money and everything stashing it in France. France is the beneficiary that is why it has blocked every effort to bring President Paul Biya to book.

Our humble request to President Uhuru Kenyatta and other like-minded leaders who love peace in Africa is to take up the matter as matter life and death to rescue the women and children trapped in the war zone of Cameroon.

AUC Chairperson is compromised by the foreign non-African states that have captured the AU and put blinders on it not see the suffering in the Ambazonia. The tears roll down when you see the killings that are videoed by the killers themselves in Cameroon army uniform. This is sad.

Source: Capitalfm.co.ke

Southern Cameroons Secretary of the Economy, Tabenyang Brado says the treacherous condemnation of French Cameroun orchestrated violence in Southern Cameroons by the UN spokesperson; Stéphane Dujarric will not affect the Ambazonia battle for independence.

The United Nations stated its position during its daily news briefing in New York on Friday in which the world body observed that “On Cameroon, we have seen recent reports of serious human rights violations and abuses in that country.

“These include a shocking video allegedly showing the brutal murder of a young woman in Muyuka in the South-West.

“We strongly and unequivocally condemn this atrocious act of violence.

“We call on the authorities to swiftly launch an investigation into these allegations and to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,’’ Dujarric said.  

The senior Southern Cameroons exiled leader made the remarks on Saturday, deploring the UN’s statement on the genocidal campaign going on in the Federal Republic of Ambazonia as worrying.

The Stéphane Dujarric’s pronouncement has already drawn condemnation from various Southern Cameroons groups as well as the Ambazonian diaspora from across the planet.

Secretary Tabenyang Brado noted that Southern Cameroonians are confident that the treacherous stance of the UN will not impact the resistance of the Ambazonia people and the Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

By Isong Asu

The US Embassy in Cameroon raised concern about horrific attacks against civilians in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Central African country by armed separatist fighters.

“We note the disturbing rise of brutal attacks in recent weeks, including beheadings, torture, and bombings in civilian areas,” the embassy said in a statement on Friday.

“We offer our condolences to all those bereaved by these acts, and call for impartial investigations to take place and for perpetrators to be brought to justice in accordance with Cameroonian law,” it added.

Condemnations came after footage of the murder of two women by separatist groups in the Northwest and Southwest regions was shared on social media. The separatists had also kidnaped and murdered an aid worker.

It has generated outrage across the country and calls for justice and investigation.

Tibor Nagy, assistant secretary for US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs, took to Twitter to express his concern about the escalating attacks by armed separatists against civilians in the above-mentioned regions.

“My condolences to all of the victims and their families, and I hope to see impartial investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice,” Nagy said.

The Cameroon government also condemned the “acts of barbarity and horror perpetrated in recent days by secessionist terrorist armed gangs, which continue to sow terror and desolation among the populations in the Northwest and Southwest regions.”

Earlier this year, the Norwegian Refugee Council named Cameroon as the world’s most neglected displacement crisis for the second year running.

Cameroon has been marred by protests since 2016, with residents in English-speaking regions saying they have been marginalized for decades by the central government and the French-speaking majority.

Violence in the Anglophone regions over the last three years has claimed an estimated 3,000 lives and caused the displacement of over 730,000 civilians, according to the Human Rights Watch.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Dabney Yerima has expressed sadness over the brutal murder of   Confort Tumassang in Muyuka by armed militia loyal to the French Cameroun regime in Yaoundé.

Vice President Yerima in a condolence message through Southern Cameroons Communications Secretary Milton Takam, on Sunday described the killing of the young Southern Cameroons lady as shocking and despicable.

Cameroon Concord News understands lawyers representing the Interim Government will be paying a condolence visit to the family at the residence of the deceased to sympathize with the immediate family over the loss.

The Southern Cameroons leader described Confort Tumassang’s demise as a great loss to the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and promised to take stiffer measures to address security concerns in both the Southern and Northern Zone of Ambazonia.

Vice President Yerima condemned the killing of the Muyuka lady and assured Southern Cameroonians of the commitment of the Ambazonia Interim Government to guarantee the security of their lives and property.

Dabney Yerima, also, prayed that Ambazonia ancestors will receive the soul of the departed and comfort her family.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Biya and his French Cameroun political elites are suffering from the military and psychological defeat in the Southern Cameroons four year old war and the chairman of the ruling CPDM crime syndicate now fears for his existence.

The Defense Secretary of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government made the remarks during a conversation with the Cameroon Concord News Group correspondent in Berlin on Sunday.

The US based Ambazonian leader congratulated all Southern Cameroonians in Ground Zero on the divine victory against the French Cameroun military apparatus paying tribute to all British Southern Cameroonians who have lost their lives or sustained injuries during the Biya-French Cameroun imposed war. The war has claimed the lives of thousands of Southern Cameroonians and witnessed the destruction of hundreds of Southern Cameroons towns and villages.

Hundreds of Cameroon government army soldiers including elements of the elite force, the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) have also been killed during the fighting. French Cameroun President Paul Biya and his Francophone dominated regime are yet to realize that they cannot use the military to force Ambazonia Restoration Forces into submission.

The Southern Cameroons Defense Secretary (names withheld) also thanked all Ambazonians who are playing a role in achieving the victory against the French Cameroun regime. He also particularly hailed the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Ghana who are presently hosting thousands of displaced Southern Cameroonians.

The Defense Secretary stressed that one of the main reasons the crisis in Southern Cameroons is being ignored by the international community including the UN Secretary Council is because of the nasty role currently being played by the French government of President Emmanuel Macron.

“Biya and his French Cameroun acolytes now are having existential fears. They fear their regime’s existence and continuation,” the Ambazonia Defense Chief added.

He also pointed out that French Cameroun military officials have privately acknowledged failure in preventing the Southern Cameroons Interim Government’s strengthening in Ground Zero.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Military forces arrested several hundred people in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions this week as they searched for those behind the killing of at least 13 civilians in the regions, including aid workers.

Public sentiment was inflamed when videos of beheaded women and civilians stabbed or shot to death were shared on social media.

The government blames separatist forces for the deaths, and the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde on Friday condemned what it called the horrific and senseless attacks by armed separatist fighters.

However, Prince Ekosso, president of the opposition United Socialist Democratic Party, says the arrests are an overreaction to the killings.

“The people of South West and North West cannot continue to suffer like this,” Ekosso said. “It is not supposed to be a collective arrest. It is supposed to be a systematic investigation so that they can find the culprits and bring them to book. You don’t go and punish innocent people for the crime of another person.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Prudence Egbe said the military raided several neighborhoods in Muyuka, a southwestern town, on Thursday. She said that after forcefully searching their family house and finding nothing that could implicate anyone, the military still left with her older brother, who drives a motorcycle, and accused him of aiding the separatists.  

“They tortured him,” Egbe said. “What he does is he carries people to the market and brings them back. Since they arrested him, we don’t even know what he is going through.”

 The government acknowledged that people were arrested in Muyuka, but did not give details. 

Earlier, separatist fighters in Muyuka had killed Bih Blanche Chi, a 35-year-old mother of four, for allegedly being an informant for government forces. In a video circulated on social media, the woman pleads her innocence before her throat is cut with a machete.

Bernard Okalia Bilai, governor of the English-speaking South West Region where Muyuka is located, denied the population is being brutalized. He said civilians are happy that the military is protecting them from barbaric fighters.

“The populations are reacting positively now,” Bilai said. “They are collaborating with the forces of law and order to denounce those who are disturbing in their territory.”

Similar mass arrests and torturing of civilians have been reported in towns in the North West region, where two teachers, a humanitarian worker and a 30-year-old woman were killed.

 Since 2016, separatists have fought to split the North West and South West regions, where the predominant language is English, from the rest of Cameroon and its French-speaking majority. 

The four-year conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced 500,000 others, according to the United Nations. 

Source: VOA

“Fine play,” a pidgin English expression for “well done.” That’s what an alleged separatist fighter can be heard saying as the throat of a woman is cut with a machete.

A screenshot of the video showing Confort Tumassang being interrogated and threatened by armed separatists before her killing, August 11, 2020, Muyuka, South-West region, Cameroon 

  A screenshot of the video showing Confort Tumassang being interrogated and threatened by armed separatists before her killing, August 11, 2020, Muyuka, South-West region, Cameroon   ©

In a shocking video widely circulated on social media, three suspected separatist fighters in Muyuka, South-West region, beat and drag a 35-year-old woman, identified as Confort Tumassang by the government, over the ground with her hands tied behind her back on August 11. She begs for mercy before she is beheaded, her body left in the street. The mother-of-four is just the latest casualty in brutal attacks against civilians committed by separatist groups across the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon – some of them similarly captured on video.

Human Rights Watch also reviewed a second video, filmed before the killing, showing separatists interrogating and threatening Tumassang, whom they accused of collaborating with the military.

The Minister of Communication issued a statement on August 13 condemning the murder and calling on security forces to ensure civilians’ protection.

The video, which corroborates previous accounts of killings by armed separatists documented by Human Rights Watch since late 2016, emerged as a new spike of violence affects civilians across the Anglophone regions.

“It flies in the face of humanity for us to accept these abuses as the new normal. There must be accountability,” the prominent human rights activist Felix Agbor Nkongho, also known as Agbor-Balla, told Human Rights Watch this week.

Yet when Human Rights Watch contacted the three main Anglophone separatist groups – the Ambazonia Governing Council, the Interim Government, led by Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe, and its splinter faction, led by Samuel Ikome Sako – for their reaction to the video, they condemned the killing but denied responsibility. Some blamed each other, while others accused government soldiers of disguising themselves as separatist fighters to commit atrocities – an accusation which the Minister of Communication dismissed.

Separatists continue to commit serious human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions with near-total impunity. Their leaders should immediately end the violence against civilians, and Cameroon’s international partners and the United Nations Security Council should impose targeted sanctions on separatist leaders responsible for these abuses.

Culled from Human Rights Watch