July 2021

Monthly News Updates: Southern Cameroons – July 2021

By: Fabiana Nuñez del Prado Nieto, Junior Research Associate, PILPG-NL

This post collects updates from the past month concerning developments in Southern Cameroons.  The information is drawn from local and international online sources.

VIOLENCE IN ANGLOPHONE REGIONS

Killings | Murder of teacher in South-West region

On July 1, 2021, a group of gunmen fired shots at a 52-year-old physics schoolteacher from Kumba (South-West region).  The blasts killed him instantly at his home, in front of his children.  No group has claimed responsibility for the murder, but local people believe separatist fighters are responsible for targeting schools, teachers, and schoolchildren.  [July 2, 2021] 

Separatist Violence | Separatists allegedly killed more than 40 people

According to Cameroonian officials, separatists killed more than 40 people and torched 70 houses in June.  It was the most violent month of the year so far.  A military spokesman claimed that anglophone separatists massacred dozens of civilians and attempted to blame the military.  Army Captain Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo alleged that the separatists killed three military men in Bamali, an English-speaking northwestern village.  The public reacted to the increased violence with widespread condemnation.  [July 2, 2021] 

GOVERNMENT RESPONSES

Separatist Violence | Government sent Defense Minister to francophone region

During the first week of July, Cameroon’s government sent Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo to the border between the anglophone and francophone regions due to increased separatist incursions into French-speaking towns and villages.  Warrant Officer Bouba Dawanga Syraye, the ranking officer at the military post in Foumban village, said that the government troops had recently arrested ten suspects and recovered guns, ammunition, and several locally made explosives.

According to the military, the proliferation of arms in the French-speaking West region has been rising since 2017.  Many locals have abandoned their businesses, and construction work on government buildings has stopped due to the increased separatist attacks.  [July 24, 2021] 

Campaign | Campaign against hate speech online

In July, Cameroon launched a campaign against online hate speech.  The officials in charge of the campaign blame hate speech for the current social conflict and the damage to Cameroon's international image.  The government maintains that the campaign will reduce the tensions if the youth, who constitute about 65% of the population, stop damaging the image of Cameroon online and instead show love for their country and its institutions on social media.  [July 9, 2021] 

HUMAN RIGHTS 

LGBTQ+ Rights | Transgender women released from jail

On July 13, a judge from a Yaoundé court ordered the release of two transgender women convicted of "attempted homosexuality," pending their appeals.  The local police arrested Shakiro and Patricia on February 8, 2021, for wearing women's clothing in a restaurant.  Shakiro is a celebrity influencer in Cameroon, with thousands of social media followers.  Her status brought additional attention to the case.  According to Shakiro’s and Patricia’s lawyer, the women received a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of 200,000 CFA for "attempted homosexuality," public indecency, and failing to carry identification.  [July 13, 2021] 

SCHOOLS IN SOUTHERN CAMEROONS

Reopening of Schools | Over 70,000 children return to school

According to Cameroonian authorities, around 70,000 children returned to school this year in the Western regions.  The schools had closed due to threats from some anglophone separatist groups.  Armed separatists attacked more than 200 schools between 2017 and 2019, and nearly all schools in the North and Southwest regions had to be permanently shut down as teachers left their jobs due to insecurity.  [July 19, 2021] 

CIVILIAN RESPONSES

Muslim community in Cameroon prays for an end to the conflict

From July 19 to July 23, the Muslim community in Cameroon celebrated Eid al-Adha, Festival of the Sacrifice, by praying for an end to the anglophone conflict.  The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people since 2017.  Muslim leaders also called on separatist Muslim fighters to drop their weapons and encourage their peers to stop fighting.  [July 20, 2021] 

REGIONAL VIOLENCE

Nigeria/Cameroon | Boko Haram attack kills eight soldiers in Cameroon

On July 24, Boko Haram launched an attack in the Far North Region of Cameroon.  According to a police report confirmed by several local sources, the attack killed eight soldiers.  The Governor of the region, Bakari Midjiyawa, said that heavily armed Boko Haram fighters hit the military base in the locality of Sagme at around four in the morning using six vehicles.  [July 24, 2021] 

June 2021

Monthly News Updates: Southern Cameroons - June 2021

By: Fabiana Nuñez del Prado Nieto, Junior Research Associate, PILPG-NL 

This post collects updates from the past month concerning recent developments in Southern Cameroons.  The information is drawn from local and international online sources.

VIOLENCE IN ANGLOPHONE REGIONS

Separatist Violence | Protests against separatist violence

On May 31, following the killing of a renowned local businessman, the residents of Mbefi, a locality in Bamenda in the North-West region of Cameroon, took to the streets.  They voiced their discontent over the continued atrocities allegedly perpetrated by Ambazonian separatist fighters on innocent civilians. [June 1, 2021] 

Separatist Violence | Separatist attack on army outpost

On May 25, according to military sources, a group of separatist fighters attacked an army outpost in the Lassin village of Noni, located in the North-West anglophone region.  The attackers killed five Cameroonian soldiers during the assault. Separatist fighters of the “Marine Force of Ambazonia” claimed authorship of the attack and warned about future attacks. [May 26, 2021] 

HUMAN RIGHTS 

Detentions | Human rights lawyer detained on terrorism charges 

On May 31, the Yaoundé gendarmes (police force in charge of maintaining public order), arrested Cameroonian human rights lawyer, Amungwa Tanyi Nicodemus, accusing him of terrorism for possessing photographs that evidenced abuses in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.  Amungwa was assisting a client at the Groupement Territorial de la Gendarmerie in Yaoundé, when he was arrested.

 Upon his arrest, the gendarmes immediately transferred him to the Service Central des Recherches Judiciaires (SCRJ) at the State Defense Secretariat, a detention facility known for the resort to incommunicado detention (denying the detainee access to communication with family members or a lawyer) and torture.  On June 3, the Yaoundé military court prosecutor rejected Amungwa’s lawyers’ request for bail and returned the case to the SCRJ. [June 7, 2021] 

Although Amungwa was released on June 9, the proceedings against him for alleged terrorism are still ongoing. [June 10, 2021] 

US Sanctions | United States imposes visa restrictions on Cameroon 

On June 7, the United States imposed visa restrictions on individuals believed to undermine efforts to end the ongoing crisis in the Anglophone regions.  US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the sanctions, shared the United States' concern for the continued insecurity in the areas, and called for both sides to negotiate for peace. [June 8, 2021]  

Call for Action | Women petition UN Security Council to end Cameroon's crisis

A group of female Cameroonian activists and opposition members appealed to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on May 31 during a meeting held to discuss possible solutions to escalating Boko Haram violence.  They asked the UNSC to force Cameroon to respect human rights, release political prisoners, and negotiate a ceasefire with armed groups. 

The group said that Cameroon has become conflict-ridden and on the brink of a catastrophe.  They called for international pressure as they believed it would help put an end to the conflict. Cameroonian politician and co-signatory of the letter Edith Kah Walla mentioned that the UNSC needs to recommend an inclusive, bottom-up dialogue with all parties to the conflict. [June 5, 2021] 

INCIDENTS ABROAD

US | US-based Anglophone Cameroonians charged for shipping weapons into Nigeria 

A US federal court charged three US-based Anglophone Cameroonians with shipping, attempting to ship, and conspiracy to ship weapons and military goods from the United States to Nigeria.  The federal prosecutor believes the suspects are supporters of the Anglophone separatist movement in Cameroon.  However, there is still no confirmation.  They face implication in supplying high-grade firearms and ammunition to separatists fighting against the Cameroonian armed forces. [June 18, 2021]

May 2021

Monthly News Updates: Southern Cameroons – May 2021

By: Fabiana Nuñez del Prado Nieto, Junior Research Associate, PILPG-NL

This post collects updates from the past month concerning recent developments in Southern Cameroons.  The information is drawn from local and international online sources.

VIOLENCE IN ANGLOPHONE REGIONS

Separatist Violence | Clashes between separatists and official troops 

On May 20, 2021, Cameroon celebrated its Unity Day, commemorating the decision to constitute Cameroon as a unitary state instead of the previously existing federal system.  However, clashes between separatists and official troops tarnished the usual celebratory activities in the state’s English-speaking towns and villages.  The violence left at least 16 people dead and 60 houses burned. [May 20, 2021] 

OTHER REGIONAL VIOLENCE

Nigeria/Cameroon | Newly formed alliance ignites ethnic tensions

In April 2021, the leaders of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a Nigerian secessionist group that advocates for the creation of the independent state of Biafra, and the Ambazonia Governing Council, one of two major Anglophone separatist groups, announced a formal military and strategic alliance.  The alliance threatens to ignite violence and instability in the two states and across West and Central Africa. [May 20, 2021] 

HUMAN RIGHTS 

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence | Escalation of cases in Anglophone regions 

United Nations (UN) data shows more than 500 cases of gender-based violence, including forced marriage, denial of economic resources, and emotional abuse between January and March 2021.  In 2020 alone, the UN documented 4,300 sexual and gender-based violence incidents across the two regions between February and December. Almost half of these cases involved sexual or physical assault, and in more than 30 percent of cases, the victims were children.  In 2019, 289 out of the 1,065 documented cases involved sexual assault or rape.

According to Reach Out Cameroon, a non-governmental organization, sexual violence in Cameroon is growing in large proportions.  The conflict has aggravated sexual violence in the affected communities, particularly for those most vulnerable, such as girls and women. [April 29, 2021]

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence | Hunger strike to draw global attention to sexual violence

On May 14, 2021, around one thousand women embarked on a hunger strike to draw global attention to the rise of sexual and gender-based violence in the Anglophone crisis.  The objective was to pressure US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to step in and help restore peace in Cameroon. [May 19, 2021]

LGBTQ+ Rights | Escalation of arrests of LGTBQ+ people for “Practicing Homosexuality"

On February 8, 2021, two Cameroonian transgender women were arrested in Douala for wearing typically female clothing.  The prosecutors charged them with attempted homosexual conduct, public indecency, and non-possession of their national identity cards.  On May 11, a court sentenced the two women to five years imprisonment and a USD 350 fine under a law prohibiting homosexuality.  According to the lawyer representing both women, the prosecution is trying to send the political message that LGTBQ+ people are not wanted in Cameroon.

Recently, the security forces in Cameroon have increasingly targeted people for arbitrary arrest based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. [May 12, 2021] 

April 2021

Monthly News Updates: Southern Cameroons – April 2021

By: Fabiana Nunez del Prado Nieto, 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

Separatist Violence | Freed Civilians Claim to have been Tortured by Separatists 

The Cameroonian military freed nine civilians allegedly held hostage by anglophone separatists for almost two months.  The hostages claim that the rebels tortured them by chopping off their ears and fingers.  Some separatists took to social media to disavow the actions of the kidnappers, claiming that the kidnappers were criminals, not their fighters.  Nka Valere, commander of the military troops fighting separatists in the Northwest, denied any wrongdoing by his forces.  [April 19, 2021]

Violence Against Humanitarian Aid | Non-State Armed Group Attacks United Nations Convoy

On March 26, 2021, a non-state armed group attacked a UN convoy composed of seven staff members.  The UN staff was conducting a monitoring mission in the Munyenge village when shortly after entering the Ikata village, a group of armed men opened fire against them.  There was no loss of life nor injuries, but two vehicles were seriously damaged.  Although this attack is the first of this kind since the beginning of the anglophone crisis, several humanitarian workers have been threatened, abducted, injured, and killed to date in the two regions.

In Cameroon, the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Matthias Z. Naab, strongly condemned the attack and called on all parties to the crisis to abide by their obligations under international human rights law.  He also called on parties to refrain from any attacks against humanitarian organizations, educational and health care facilities, and their personnel and assets. [April 4, 2021]

OTHER REGIONAL VIOLENCE

Nigeria/Cameroon | Escalation of Violence by Boko Haram in Northern Cameroon

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), since December 2021, Boko Haram has been increasing its attacks against civilians in the Far North region of Cameroon.  The Boko Haram insurgency began in Nigeria in 2009 and spread across several states of the Lake Chad basin, including Cameroon. 

The Cameroonian military has deployed thousands of soldiers to the Far North region to prevent and repel Boko Haram attacks.  Still, residents and humanitarian workers proclaim the presence of soldiers is not enough to protect civilians effectively.  The violence has provoked a major humanitarian crisis, forcing over 322,000 people from their homes since 2014, including 12,500 since last December. [April 4, 2021]

COVID-19 RESPONSE

Use of Covid-19 Funds | Paul Biya Orders Improvement of  Oversight Over Misappropriation of Covid-19 Funds

President Paul Biya’s recent orders to improve oversight and investigate misappropriation of Covid-19 funding appear to be related to Cameroon’s ongoing negotiations for a multiyear loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  The IMF has already approved two emergency Covid-19 loans to the state for a total of 382 million dollars.

On March 29, 2021, the Secretary-general of the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, sent a letter instructing the state auditing agency Contrôle supérieur de l'État du Cameroun (CONSUPE), to accelerate its audit of Covid-19 expenditures.  According to Human Rights Watch, the audit performed by CONSUPE does not satisfy the government’s pledge to the IMF to conduct an independent audit of funds.   After approving two emergency loans of 256 and 156 million US dollars in May and October of 2020, respectively, the International Monetary Fund is currently asking for accountability on the funds. [April 8, 2021]

Vaccines | Health Workers Claim to Distrust  Efficacy of Chinese Vaccines

On April 11, 2021, 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Cameroon's capital, Yaoundé.  While some health care workers doubt the efficacy of the vaccine, Cameroon Health Minister Manaouda Malachi was the first one to get the shot.  He said he understood people’s reluctance to take the vaccine due to reports of fake vaccines circulating in China.  However, he reassured that the vaccines come directly from the manufacturers in China. [April 14, 2021]

HUMAN RIGHTS 

LGBTQ+ Rights | Rise in Arrests of LGTBQ+ People for “Practicing Homosexuality”

Since February 2021, according to Human Rights Watch, the security forces have arrested, beaten, or threatened at least 24 people, alleging consensual same-sex conduct or gender non-conformity.  Sexual relations between people of the same sex are criminalized in Cameroon and punished with up to five years in prison.

On March 25, the human rights organization shared its findings with the Justice Minister, the State Secretary at the Defense Ministry.  The delegate general for national security requested answers about the situation.  Cameroonian officials have yet to respond. [April 14, 2021]

POLITICAL OPPOSITION IN CAMEROON

Opposition | Armed Police Disperses Meeting of Opposition Leaders

Seven opposition leaders stated that the police forcefully removed them from a meeting held on March 30th, 2021.  According to the leaders, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss election reforms to end the long-serving presidency of Paul Biya.  The government said it ordered the disruption of the meeting because the opposition leaders did not obtain the required authorization, as stipulated by Cameroonian law.  Three of the candidates who lost the presidential poll on October 7, 2018, were present in the meeting. [April 3, 2021]

February 2021

Monthly News Updates: Southern Cameroons – February 2021

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

Peace Process | Government Offers Compensation to Victims of Ngarbuh Massacre 

A year after the Ngarbuh massacre, in which security forces killed 21 civilians, including 13 children, the government offered compensation to the families of victims. The offer to families contains roughly 9.000 USD for each person killed. A news source quoted the spokesperson for a victims´ organization as finding it “unacceptable that the government has unilaterally fixed the price for human life …”. In the process of finding compensation, the government denied any wrongdoing at first, but later agreed to set up a commission of inquiry. After international pressure, this government commission concluded that five of the killed individuals were armed fighters and 13 civilians were accidentally killed in the crossfire. Based on these findings, a trial against three members of the armed forces began on December 17, 2020. Nevertheless, the commission and the trial are criticized by organizations such as Human Rights Watch, as they are only “going after low-ranking soldiers” and excluding those higher up in the chain of command. The trial is still ongoing. [February 14th 2021]

Peace Process | Former Separatist Fighters Protest Conditions in DDR Centres

A number of former separatist fighters in Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) Centres in Bamenda in the anglophone North West region protested on February 15th 2021, to make their demands for better integration efforts heard. The former fighters, who laid down their arms voluntarily, condemn the government for not living up to their promises of reintegrating the former fighters into society. [February 15th 2021]

Clashes with Soldiers | Civilian Violently Tortured by Soldiers

Widespread outrage erupted in Cameroon after a video emerged online showing soldiers, gendarmes, and police officers torturing a civilian man on February 11, 2021. In the video, the government officials are seemingly threatening to behead the man and express that their acts are common practices among law enforcement officials. The victim explained a few days later that the officials accused him of being a member of armed separatist groups, relying on the fact that he was in possession of a second identity card as proof.. Following national outrage, the perpetrators have been arrested and are currently being investigated by the Military High Command.  [February 18th 2021]

Peace Process | Japan Offers Financing for Reconstruction of Anglophone Regions

The government of Japan, via its Embassy in Yaoundé, offered to financially support reconstruction efforts in anglophone regions. Japan reportedly offered 2.75 Million USD in support of a government-led program to rebuild infrastructure in the anglophone North West and South West regions, both severely affected by the ongoing conflict. [February 19th 2021]

Separatist Violence | Separatist Allegedly Kill Three Local Rulers

Armed separatists allegedly abducted and killed four traditional chiefs from the Libalem  community in the anglophone South West Region on February 13th 2021. Local sources claim that a possible reason for the abduction could be that the local rulers participated in regional elections in December 2020, disobeying a boycott mandated by separatist groups. A separatist leader in turn claimed that government forces were responsible for the killings and that politicians are now trying to frame the anglophone movement. [February 22nd 2021]

Separatist Violence | At Least Six Soldiers Killed in Three Different Attacks

Armed separatists killed at least six government soldiers in three separate attacks in February. Three navy soldiers were killed in an ambush on February 14th and an army captain in a separate attack on February 15th. In the third attack on February 24th, separatists killed at least two soldiers after their vehicle was damaged by an improvised explosive device. The army in turn reportedly also killed five suspected separatists and burned civilian houses in the anglophone North West region, killing two civilians. [February 25th 2021]

HUMAN RIGHTS 

US Deportations | Members of US Congress Ask Biden to Stop Deportations to Cameroon

More than 40 Democratic members of the US Congress wrote a letter urging President Biden to halt deportations of asylum seekers to Cameroon. The letter cites the ongoing armed conflicts in the anglophone regions and on the Nigerian border, as well as human rights abuses by the Cameroonian government as reasons to stop deportations. The previous administration under President Trump continued to deport Cameroonian asylum seekers, ignoring warnings by human rights groups. [February 17th 2021]

LGBTQ+ Rights | Nine People Arrested for Practicing Homosexuality

The police arrested nine individuals on charges of “practicing homosexuality” on February 25th 2021. These arrests were made at the headquarters of a civil society organization that provides care for persons infected with HIV. Homosexuality is prohibited under Cameroonian law and can be sentenced to up to five years in prison. [January 19th 2021]