February 14 reminds Cameroonians of a deadly massacre which occurred in Ngarbuh, village of Donga Mantung division of the North west region.
The attack left 23 people dead, majority of them being children and women
3 days later–on February 17, 2020–the Cameroon Government announced that there would be an investigation into the killings and that findings would be made public.
Witnesses said some 40 armed men, including members of the government security and defence forces, attacked the village of Ngarbuh, opening fire on people and burning down houses.
In most recent news, the Yaounde Military court has again adjourned the case of military soldiers arrested in connection to the massacre.
Initially, government authorities lied about the story, they said defence forces and gendarmes came under attack from people inside the village with the exchange of shots igniting a fire that affected several dwellings.
A UN finding mission on the ground said among the 23 people killed were 15 children, 9 of whom were under the age of five. The victims also included 2 pregnant women, one of whom died from injuries at the hospital
It is one year since its perpetrators were announced after the government claimed they had carried out a proper investigation. However, the perpetrators are yet to be sentenced
The February 18 adjournment was the third hearing since 2020. The soldiers are expected to be back in court on March 18, 2021
Biya’s 80 Million Donation
On February 5, 2021, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya said he was offering 80 million CFA as relief fund to victims of the massacre
But Biya’s 80 million aid doesn’t seem to solve the problem
Although the government said the military men who committed the atrocities are being detained, she has not announced their sentence
The president has also not set rules for further killings to stop by instructing the military to stop shooting unarmed civilians and suspects (at least no instruction has been put out for public notice)
Even so, many more critics think the root cause of all the problem– The Cameroon Anglophone Crisis–is yet to be resolved.
Government and separatist fighters have both refused to dialogue with each other
The result of their daily gun fights is misery and pain to the communities.
At least 5,000 people have been killed, 200+ villages burnt down, thousands incarcerated in congested stinking cells and more than 500,000 people displaced off their homes
The Cameroon Anglophone crisis began in 2016 and is 5 years on with little signs of dialogue
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