Cameroon: CHRDA says State Forces Deliberately burnt down houses in Bamenda.
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On 11 December 2021, the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa and Cameroon Data of Atrocities released a detail report citing that “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”
The above report relates to the incident that happened on 8 December 2021 in Mbengwi Road, a locality in the North West Region of Cameroon. On that day, there was burning of houses and killing of civilians after an Improvised Explosive Device Attacked was carried out by the Ambazonian Defense Forces against the military in the area. The attack allegedly destroyed their vehicles killing one top official as mentioned by the above-mentioned organizations in their findings. “It is believed that a senior officer of the BIR or associated forces was killed in the attack”
According to the report on 11 December 2021, the leaders of the ADF confirmed the attack.
Hospital Attack and Threat: On December 9, Deputy Defense Chief of the ADF Emmanuel Ndong (aka Capo Daniel) shared a video, widely circulated on WhatsApp, in which he confirmed that ADF carried out an attack. He stated that two of their fighters were injured and sought medical care at the St Mary Soledad Catholic Health Center Bamenda. In the video, Ndong shared screenshots of a video call he had with one of the fighters while he was lying on the hospital bed. Then he showed images of the fighter lying on the ground, dead. He stated that the military invaded the hospital, took out the two fighters, and executed them. He then stated he was sending a strong warning to the hospital and the Catholic Church in Bamenda, demanding for a public statement from them within 24 hours on what happened before the military removed the fighters from the hospital and executed them. He said if they fail to comply, the ADF will consider the hospital and Church as agents of the Cameroonian military and be treated as such
The report which indicates that several civilian houses were burnt contradicts the report from the Cameroon’s Ministry of Defence which say that on 10 December 2021 which denied that civilian houses were burnt in the area, “ informed about the situation, local military officials immediately deployed back-up to the scene in order to secure the area following the incident, secessionist propaganda, supported by some media organs, has been spreading rumors about the torching of houses belonging to civilians in the locality of Niton. These are nothing but false machinations directed at the elements of the Defense Forces.” Their report reads.
Ministry of Defence Press Release
On December 10, a press release about events in Bamenda was published by Navy Captain Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo, the Head of Communication Division of the Cameroonian Ministry of Defence. The release states that:
- a convoy of the 3rd BIR faced a ‘terrorist ambush’ IED attack in Nitop, Bamenda, at around 3:00pm on December 8
- after a violent confrontation, the assailants retreated; one military vehicle was damaged and four separatist fighters were neutralized
- local military officials deployed back-up to secure the area
- rumors about the torching of civilian homes are false machinations and separatist propaganda
- during the gun battle, a hideout in which separatists make IEDs was hit, leading to an explosion that caused a shockwave on a few nearby houses
According the rights organisation, The scale of the burnings, and the distance between burned structures, as depicted in the geolocation, contradict the Ministry of Defence statement. Video and photo evidence from before and after dark demonstrate that the burnings occurred over a period of time longer than they would have from a single explosion and shockwave. Videos and photos showing cars burned and corpses on the ground indicate broader attacks. All eyewitness statements collected, along with narration of videos of the incident, maintain that members of the military torched civilian homes, thus conflicting with the Ministry of Defence statement.
In conclusion, they confirm that on the evening and night of December 8, 2021, units of the Cameroonian military, including the 3rd BIR and associated forces, conducted wide-scale burnings and some extrajudicial executions of civilians along Mbengwi Road in Bamenda.
At the end of the report, CHRDA and Cameroon Anglophone Crisis Database of Atrociteis in a disclaimer statement states that their findings is not are not considered final and their the report remained subject to change as new information arises.
You can read through CHRDA official link HERE or read/download the full report 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.
