Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon: Two International NGOs named perpetrators of the Mbengwi Road killings and burning of Civilian Properties
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The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa and the Database of Atrocities have completed their initial investigation into the incident that occurred at Mbengwi Road, Bamenda, on December 8, 2021.
According to the findings published by the two organizations, the killings, burning and destruction of civilian properties was a result of an IED attack on a BIR convoy near Kernel Mill Junction, Mbengwi Road, Bamenda, the North West Region of Cameroon.
The Ambazonian Defense Forces had earlier claimed responsibility for the IED attack against the Cameroonian Military, which allegedly led to the destruction of their armoured vehicles in the area while allegedly killing some officials.
According to the findings provided by the organizations, it was after the IED attack that the Cameroonian military resulted in the killing and burning of civilian homes in the areas.
The organizations have also provided that they have carried out their investigations with the use of eyewitnesses, geolocation, videos and photos before issuing their report.
Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court of 1998 forbid such practices during armed conflicts. The joint communique reads “The scale and distribution of burned buildings, plus the distance between these burned sites, demonstrate that this incident was a deliberate burning of the community surrounding Mbengwi Road by state security forces” This, therefore, implies that the attacks were widespread constituting acts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In the press communique, the two organizations recommended the following to the Cameroonian government:
- Launch an independent investigation into the incidents at Mbengwi Road.
- Commit to prosecute any individuals found to have violated international or domestic human rights law during the incident, such as burning civilian structures or committing extrajudicial killings.
- Deliver training for military personnel about what constitutes impermissible violence, war crimes, and violations of International Human Rights Law
You can download the full communique below:
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
