Justice Delayed is Justice Denied in Cameroon’s Ngarbuh Massacre

Four years down the road, families of the victims of the Ngarbuh massacre are still awaiting the outcome of the court case against three soldiers

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – The heinous attack on February 14, 2020, in Ngarbuh, a village in the North West Region of the country left at least 21 civilians, including 13 children and a pregnant woman dead. The attack which also saw the burning and looting of homes was hugely condemned by locals and the international community.

For the past seven years, Cameroon’s security forces and separatist groups have been engaged in a war that has seen thousands of people killed and others displaced. The violence in the South West and North West Regions has claimed more than 3,000 lives and caused the displacement of over 730,000 civilians.

The government initially denied its security forces were responsible for the massacre, describing allegations against them as fake and launching a smear against rights groups and media who exposed the killings, according to Human Rights Watch.

In March 2020, only after national and international pressure, authorities established a commission of inquiry which found that the military attempted to cover up their actions and identified three security force members as responsible for the killings. In June 2020, the government announced that the three had been arrested and charged with murder.

Four years down the road, the families of the victims are still awaiting the outcome of the court case against three soldiers. The court case has witnessed multiple adjournments with international rights organization, Human Rights Watch noting that it has been marred by irregularities.

The last hearing on the Ngarbuh massacre was on November 16, 2023. However, Human Rights Watch noted that the trial has been postponed three times, casting doubts on the ability of the military judicial system to deliver accountability for military abuse. The trial is scheduled to restart this week.

The ongoing trial of the soldiers provides a rare opportunity for justice not only for Ngarbuh’s victims but for all those who have suffered from military abuse during the crisis in Cameroon's Anglophone regions. With yet another hearing on the horizon now is the time for judicial authorities to avoid further delays and commit to deliver justice, Human Rights Watch concluded. 

The crisis in the English-speaking part of the country broke out in 2016 and has degenerated into a full-blood armed conflict. The peaceful protest then led to a heavy crackdown by security forces. According to the UN, more than 1.3 million people need aid. The violence in Cameroon has pushed tens of thousands into hiding in the bush without access to food or medical help, and several hundreds of children can no longer go to school.