BEVERLY HILLS, October 02, (THEWILL) – At least 17 people were killed over the weekend in Cameroon’s restive anglophone belt in clashes linked to a symbolic declaration of independence by the anglophone minority
Amnesty International said “at least” 17 people were killed by security forces in the country’s two English-speaking regions, a figure that concurred with a toll given by official sources, who said two Nigerians were among the dead.
The separatists chose October 1, the anniversary of the official reunification of the anglophone and francophone parts of Cameroon, to declare independence for “Ambazonia”, the name of the state they want to create.
The symbolic declaration of independence was madeSundayon social media by Sisiku Ayuk, who describes himself as the “president” of Ambazonia.
“We are no longer slaves of Cameroon,” he said.
“Today we affirm the autonomy of our heritage and our territory.”
The crisis provoked by the protests, which was exacerbated at the start of 2017 when internet access was cut for three months, has intensified in recent weeks with the push to symbolically proclaim independence of the English-speaking regions.
Ahead of the declaration, Cameroonian authorities announced a temporary curb on travel and public meetings across the Southwest Region, adding to a curfew in the neighbouring Northwest Region, also English-speaking.
The majority of Cameroon’s 22 million people are French-speaking, while about a fifth are English speakers. The legacy dates back to 1961, when a formerly British entity, Southern Cameroons, united with Cameroon after its independence from France in 1960.
Since November, the anglophone minority has been protesting against perceived discrimination but the government deployed security forces at the weekend in English-speaking regions, notably Buea in the southwest and Bamenda, the main town in the northwest and a hub of anglophone agitation.
One of the leaders of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), Joshua Osih, told reporters that the security forces were “firing real bullets at the protesters” but stressed that he was not a supporter of the secessionist movement.
In Ndop, 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Bamenda, two people were “shot dead”, according to sources, while one was killed in Kumbo on the sidelines of the protests, city mayor Donatus Njong said.
Also in Kumbo, three prison inmates were shot and killed trying to escape while security forces were mobilised for the deployments in anglophone regions, a source close to regional authorities said.
Meanwhile, Cameroon’s long-serving president, 84-year-old Paul Biya, took to social mediaSundayto condemn “all acts of violence, no matter where they come from or who is responsible.”
However, the European Union has called on all sides to be responsible and “respect the rule of law and avoid any act of violence.”
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