Cameroon Military Frees 8 Kidnapped Students, Vice Principal and Discipline Master Still in Captivity

By Boris Esono Nwenfor & Sonita Ngunyi Nwohtazie

BUEA, December 15, 2023 – Abdoullahi Aliou, Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Menchum, in the restive North West says eight students who were kidnapped by suspected non-state armed groups fighters operating in the area, have been freed after the intervention of security forces.

At about 9:30 am on Tuesday, gunmen attacked Government Technical High School Esu, in the Fungom subdivision, undressed, tortured, and burnt a block of two classrooms and the principal's office.

The Vice Principal Achuo Oscar Buh Discipline master Kum Julius Meh and 8 students were kidnapped, according to the SDO. But the students were later freed. The whereabouts of the vice principal and Discipline master are still unclear. No group has yet to claim responsibility for the attack.

One of the videos circulating online, showed students cramped in one classroom, naked pleading to be freed by their captors. The captors will go on to explain how the students will be burnt alive. Armed groups have carried out attacks, kidnappings and killings in the North West and South West regions of the predominantly French-speaking Central African country.

Separatist fighters in the English-speaking parts of Cameroon have been fighting against government forces to carve out an independent state called Ambazonia since 2017. The bloody war has led to tens of thousands of people killed, while hundreds have been displaced to neighbouring Nigeria.

Some figures put those killed at more than 6,000. Government forces have been criticized by Human Rights Watch for responding to separatist attacks with a heavy hand, often targeting civilians across the North West and South West Regions. Separatist fights have also been condemned for killing, torture, assault, and kidnappings of civilians – the very people they seek to liberate.

Abdoullahi Aliou, SDO for Menchum said: "… condemn in very strong terms, the continuous barbaric act perpetrated by armed terrorists on innocent unarmed citizens and assures the population that investigations and operations are ongoing to track these criminals for punishment by the regulations in force."

“The Senior Divisional Officer for Menchum calls on the law-abiding and peace-loving population of Esu in particular and Menchum Division in general to remain calm, to continue to collaborate with the Administration, Defence and Security Forces to enhance the peace which they were already enjoying.”

Earlier this year, international human rights organization, Amnesty International slammed both the government forces and the separatist forces for killings, rape, torture, and burning of houses among other atrocities in the North West and South West Regions.