There has been nothing limited about the suffering and misery that the neglected war has brought to the English speaking regions of Cameroon. As feared, it has been a tragedy beyond words.
Fresh and new killings resurfaced prior to the country’s National day celebration this year.
Secessionist leaders both home and abroad announced a three-day lock down and warning to all to stay away from national day celebration or faced death. These years’ National Day Celebration, witnessed gruesome killings of atleast 20 Government security forces, in Bambili, Mamfe, Ndop, and Akwaya. The mayor and two other Government officials in Belo were brutally assacinated on their way to commemorate National Day Celebrations.
As tensions continued, many civilians have been killed following events marking this year’s celebration. So many kidnapped and huge ransom demanded. The Government state security forces have retaliated by killings Dozens of Ambazonia separatist fighters leaving civilians with deep casualties.
The under-reported armed conflict is in its 8th year running with more than 7000 deaths and more than 20.000 displaced. The rest of the English speaking populations live in fear and peril because they are targeted for exercising their state or national duty in a country they called their own, people are attacked, invaded earmarked for killings just because they hold a different ideology and opinion.
Those most impacted by this atrocious acts are the local populations. The ground incursion continues to cause immeasurable pains and suffering to the local populations who have nothing left for a livelihood. More people are being displaced, fleeing time and again in fear for their lives and arriving in areas without adequate livelihood, shelter, education, clean water and greatly traumatized.
As the world grabbles with severe humanitarian crisis, severe shortages to meet the needs of those fleeing wars, high rate of refugees crisis, At a time when the people are staring down famine, when civilians are under bombardment from north to south; it is more critical than ever for the International community to Unite, heed cries of the local people in the English Speaking Region of Cameroon by calling for an all-inclusive dialogue to End this nightmare.