CAMEROON MILITARY AND SEPARATISTS ACCUSE OF RIGHT VIOLATION IN NORTH AND SOUTH WEST REGIONS

By Edwin -

 According to the most recent report from Amnesty International on the violence in Cameroon, which was published on July 4, 2023, all parties to the conflict have engaged in "atrocities" against civilians, including rape, torture, and executions. The report, "With or against us: the population caught between the army, armed separatists, and militias in north-west Cameroon," is based on two missions conducted by Amnesty International investigators in November 2022 and March 2023 during which they spoke with more than 100 crime victims, journalists, and human rights advocates.

According to the study, the security forces in Cameroon have engaged in "unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, and the destruction of property." A separate investigation by Amnesty International revealed that armed separatists had committed "kidnappings, killings, and the destruction of property." The research also discovered that Mbororo Fulani militias had been responsible for deaths and the destruction of homes in the North-West region, possibly even with the assistance or complacency of Cameroonian forces in some cases.

The study urges the Cameroonian government to put an immediate stop to the violence and hold those accountable for abuses of human rights accountable. Amnesty International further requests that the international community exert more pressure on the government of Cameroon to put an end to the fighting and protect civilians.


The following are some of the report's main conclusions:

Since 2017, Cameroonian security personnel have killed at least 400 civilians in the Southwest and North-West without authorization.

At least 200 civilians have been slain by armed separatists within the same time period.

In the North-West area, Mbororo Fulani militias have slain at least 100 civilians.

Since 2017, the North-West and Southwest areas of Cameroon have seen at least 2,000 people unlawfully imprisoned and arrested by security personnel.

In the same time frame, armed separatists have kidnapped at least 1,000 individuals.

Since 2017, the North-West and Southwest areas of Cameroon have seen at least 100 victims of torture and other cruel treatment at the hands of security forces.

In the same time frame, armed separatists tortured and mistreated at least 50 individuals.

Since 2017, the North-West and Southwest areas have seen at least 1,000 homes demolished Cameroonian security personnel.

In the same time frame, armed separatists have destroyed at least 500 dwellings.

The investigation and prosecution of human rights abuses committed by all conflicting parties in Cameroon were considered to have been insufficient by the report. As a result, these offenses frequently go unpunished.

The report's findings serve as a sobering reminder of how many people have died as a result of the strife in Cameroon. To put an end to the carnage and to safeguard civilians, the international community needs to act quickly.

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