Cameroon: At least 2 Killed in Suspected Separatist Attack in Mile 14

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, September 15, 2023 – Two people have reportedly been killed in Mile 14 Dibanda in an attack blamed on separatist fighters in Cameroon's South West in the early hours of Friday, September 15. This latest attack follows that carried out in Muea, after separatist fighters had called for a two week ghost town across the South West Region.

The two week ghost town was instituted to thwart the resumption of the new school year in the Anglophone regions. One of the victims has been named as Kum Louis. Images circulating on social media show two men in a car with reported ghost shot wounds. The said car also has extensive damage.

According to reports, the separatist fighters visited the court of First Instance of Limbe this Friday morning where they collected phones, money and other valuables from registrars. On various social media groups in the country, there were alarms that were sounded for all those who intended to travel out of Buea using the Mile 14 stretch of road to be cautious.

This is not the first time that such an attack has been carried out in Mile 14. Back in 2020, Chief Ikome Ngale, the traditional ruler of Mile 14 Dibanda was reportedly killed by separatist fighters as the crisis in the two English-speaking regions of the country worsened. The traditional ruler was found dead in the bush on December 13, 2020, after he had been earlier kidnapped alongside two of his peers by armed men.

Separatists in minority English-speaking parts of Cameroon have been fighting to carve out an independent state called Ambazonia since 2017. They carry out attacks, kidnappings and killings in the North West and South West regions. Insurgents began fighting the Cameroonian military after civilian protests calling for greater representation for the Francophone country's English-speaking minority were violently repressed.

Killings, kidnappings, arson, maiming, and outright terror have become part of daily lives in some parts of the English-speaking regions. Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Right and Democracy in Africa, CHRDA, have accused both the separatist forces and government forces of carrying out attacks on civilians.

“Armed separatist groups are kidnapping, terrorizing, and killing civilians across the English-speaking regions with no apparent fear of being held to account by either their own leaders or Cameroonian law enforcement,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior central Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Leaders of separatist groups should immediately instruct their fighters to stop abusing civilians and hand over abusive fighters for prosecution.”

Since 2017, armed separatists have kidnapped hundreds of people, including students, teachers, medical staff, humanitarian workers, clergy and government officials. They have also killed and tortured civilians, and carried out wide-spread attacks on education.

Government troops have also committed human rights violations, including extensive burning of villages, homes and shops, killing, torture, mistreatment, in-communicado detension and rape of civilians, according to Human Rights Watch.

“Cameroon’s regional and international partners should intensify calls on the Cameroonian government for accountability, and better protection of civilians,” Allegrozzi said. “They should also impose targeted sanctions, such as travel bans and asset freezes, on separatist leaders who bear responsibility for committing abuses.”