Cameroon: Human Rights Watch decries overdue justice for victims of Ngarbuh Massacre
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In a Press release published on 14 January 2022, Human Rights Watch has expressed dissatisfaction with the lapses of judiciary processes relating to the Ngarbuh Massacre case. They said it has been two years while the victims of the Massacre which took place on 14 February 2020 have not received justice.
As reported by Human Rights Watch, The trial of 21 people accused of involvement in the killings of 21 civilians in Ngarbuh, in Cameroon’s North-West region, on February 14, 2020, has dragged on for 14 months.
According to Human Rights Watch, The slow pace raises concerns about the justice system’s efficiency and ability to deliver justice to the victims. The lack of progress is compounded by the limited opportunity for access and participation by victims’ families, the lack of probative witnesses, and the fact that senior officers with command responsibility have not been arrested or charged.
The International human rights body also reported that ‘The only witnesses so far did not see the killings and claimed the victims were separatist fighters.’ According to Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch, “When the trial started, it was welcomed as a step toward justice and tackling impunity for military abuses in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions…But two years after the massacre, victims and their families are still awaiting justice, while security forces have continued to commit serious human rights violations.”
The Ngarbuh trial started on December 17, 2020, before the military court in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital, and has had 15 sessions. The next is scheduled for February 17, 2022. The defendants include two soldiers: a sergeant and a first-class soldier of the 52nd Motorized Infantry Battalion (Battalion d’intervention motorisé, BIM), a gendarme, a former separatist fighter, and 17 ethnic-Fulani vigilantes, who remain at large. They have been charged with murder, arson, destruction, violence against a pregnant woman, and disobeying orders. The court is about 450 kilometers from Ngarbuh, making it difficult for family members of victims to attend. Family members’ lawyers expressed concern about the issue in March 2021. Since then, only two relatives of victims have testified before the court.
Read the full report through the link below: Cameroon: 2 Years On, Massacre Victims Await Justice | Human Rights Watch (hrw.org)
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.
