Monthly News Update: Southern Cameroons – October 2020
By: Kristoffer Burck, Junior Research Associate, PILPG-NL
This post collects updates from the past month concerning relevant developments in Southern Cameroons. The information is drawn from local and international online sources.
SCHOOLS IN SOUTHERN CAMEROONS
Attack on School | Bilingual School in Anglophone Region Attacked
A bilingual school in Kumba town in the anglophone South-West Region of Cameroon was attacked by armed men on Saturday, October 24th. Different accounts report between four and ten deaths and dozens of wounded students. News outlets report also that the attackers arrived on motorbikes, wearing civilian clothes and carrying firearms and machetes. Witnesses describe indiscriminate attacks on students in classrooms. Among the victims are children as young as nine years old. [October 24th 2020]
Attack on School | Disagreement between Government and Separatists regarding responsibility for the attack
Different separatist groups have declared that the military is responsible for the attack on a school in the South-West region. Prominent actors, like Ayuk Tabe and the Southern Cameroon Civil Society Consortium, have alleged that the government forces conducted the killings at a bilingual school, labelling the attack a “genocide”.
The Cameroonian Minister for Communications alleges that the Amazonian separatists conducted the attacks. In the same statement, he dismisses claims that the government forces might have been responsible.
There are contradicting witness reports and no definitive evidence to support allegations of either side has been presented yet. [October 25th 2020]
Reopening of Schools | Government Officials Declare Schools are Opened
According to government officials, some schools in the anglophone North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon reopened on October 9th. A majority of schools have been closed for four years as a result of the ongoing conflict. Some anglophone activists backed reopening, while other factions remained reluctant to support the move, citing concerns about influence of the Cameroonian government on curricula. [October 9th 2020]
Reopening of Schools | Teachers Refuse to Return
Attempts to reopen schools in the anglophone regions are met with resistance by teachers. More than 3.000 primary and secondary school teachers did not report to their schools in the first week, citing security concerns. The Cameroonian government offered the military transportation to schools, a move teachers have described as insufficient. [October 11th 2020]
POLITICAL OPPOSITION IN SOUTHERN CAMEROON
Opposition | OHCHR Experts Call for Release of Opposition Figures
High level experts of OHCHR express concern for the detention of opposition figures following protests in September. The press release from October 12th calls for the immediate end to detention of approximately 200 protesters. It further calls for an independent investigation into human rights abuses, allegations of forced disappearances, and ill-treatment of protesters. The experts specifically request the end of enforced house arrest of the opposition leader Maurice Kamto. [October 12th 2020]
Opposition | Opposition Leader Urges Supporters to Continue Resistance
In a rare statement, opposition leader Maurice Kamto addresses his supporters and proclaims that the resistance towards the current government will continue. As he is currently placed under effective house arrest, Kamto voices his optimism that he will win ongoing legal disputes on the illegality of his detention. [October 22th 2020]