Monthly News Updates: Southern Cameroons – November 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.
VIOLENCE IN ANGLOPHONE REGIONS
Attacks on Schools | Attacks and Abductions at Three Schools
According to government reports, armed attackers assaulted three schools in the anglophone regions of Cameroon in the first week of November. At one of the schools, attackers reportedly abducted six teachers and ten students but released them after a short time. The armed assailants set fire to another school building. In all three cases, the attackers were armed but no casualties or injuries occurred. The government accuses anglophone separatists of being responsible for these attacks. These three instances come after a deadly attack on a school on October 24, killing eight students. [November 05th 2020]
Attacks on Schools | Teacher and Student Injured in Attack
Unidentified attackers severely injured a teacher and a student during an attack on a Primary and Secondary School in the anglophone South-West region. The attackers shot indiscriminately at students and teachers but did not cause deadly casualties. This incident marks yet another attack on schools, which the government attributes to armed anglophone separatist groups. [November 16th 2020]
Clashes with soldiers | Two Soldiers Killed in Ambush
Armed attackers killed two soldiers in an ambush in the anglophone North-West region. Different sources also report the death of a civilian and cite claims that the soldiers were responsible for this act. [November 18th 2020]
Clashes with soldiers | Soldiers Accused of Burning a Civilian House in Anglophone Region
According to eyewitness reports, soldiers burned down a civilian house during a raid of a village in the anglophone North-West region. The eyewitnesses further claim that soldiers looted homes and stores, while the majority of villagers fled into the nearby bushes.
[November 22th 2020]
Abductions | Cardinal and Traditional Ruler Abducted and later Released
Unidentified attackers abducted Cardinal Cristian Tumi and traditional chief Sehm Mbinglo on November 05, 2020, while travelling through the anglophone South-West region. The chief was on his way to return from a three-year-long exile, as he left the region due to security concerns. The abduction of the cleric and the traditional ruler provoked widespread protests. Government sources claim that armed anglophone separatists are responsible for the abduction. The cardinal was released on November 06, 2020, while the traditional ruler of the Nso people was set free on November 10, 2020. [November 10th 2020]
Abductions | Ten Villagers Abducted and Freed by Government Forces
Unidentified attackers abducted ten villagers from the South-West region on November 09, 2020, after the villagers reportedly did not comply with local regulations, imposed by armed separatist groups. Government forces freed the kidnapped villagers on November 11, 2020. [November 11th 2020]
HUMAN RIGHTS IN CAMEROON
Opposition | Members of Opposition Tried by Military Tribunal
Members of the opposition movement faced a military tribunal in Yaoundé. The prosecution charged 36 individuals for their participation in demonstrations in September. The indictments are based on charges of revolution, rebellion, and the formation of mobs, for which the prosecution demands imprisonment for life. [October 31st 2020]
Opposition/Anglophone Activists | US Deports Cameroonians
The US Department of Homeland Security continues to deport Cameroonian asylum seekers amidst strong criticism by human rights groups. Reportedly, 36 Cameroonian citizens were returned to Cameroon last week, marking the second such move in the last months. Among those deported are opposition figures and several activists from anglophone regions. Different news outlets report that deportees of the first transport were prosecuted or went missing on arrival in Cameroon. Human rights groups warn that the deportees will face torture, arbitrary imprisonment, and threats to their lives once returned to Cameroon. [November 10th 2020]
Opposition | Police Arrests Fifty Protesting Women
Police forces arrested approximately fifty women in connection to protests in the capital Yaounde. Some of the women stripped naked during the protests to point out the extreme grief they are suffering. The women protested for the release of the opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who is confined to house arrest. Reports mention police brutality against the protestors. The arrested women currently remain in detention. [November 21st 2020]
PRESIDENT BIYA MARKS 38 YEARS IN OFFICE
On November 06, 2020, President Paul Biya celebrates his 38 year anniversary as the president of Cameroon. The 87-year-old Biya is the second longest-ruling president on the African continent and the third-longest ruling non-monarchic leader in the world. [November 06th 2020]