Cameroon: CHRDA report an increase in human rights violations

The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), during the launch and publication of its human rights report for the year 2023 on the 28th of February 2024, indicated that there was an increase in human rights violations in the in the Conflict affected regions of the country. Speaking to the press, Barrister Agbor Nkongho who is the founder and president of the human rights organization confirms the human rights situation is worsening and he equally regretted that people see the number of people killed as statistics and not human beings while citing the case of Egweko in Mamfe, where at least 50 civilians were brutally killed. The report represents the summary of CHRDA’s monthly human rights monitoring and is divided into different human rights violations and abuses that they documented in the year 2023. The human rights issues raised in the report are related to the ongoing armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions and the Boko Haram Insurgency in the Far North Region. Below is the Summary of the report as publish on the official website of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 2023, we monitored and documented significant human rights violations and abuses by government forces, separatist’s fighters, Boko Haram Insurgency groups, armed Fulani herders. These atrocities continued to claim lives and affected people’s safety, and livelihoods, in the North West, South West and Far North Regions of Cameroon. The horrific effects of these human rights violations and abuses affected mostly those in the hinterlands especially of the North West and South West Regions. Some of these violations and abuses included; arbitrary killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, delayed litigations, harsh conditions in detention centers, abduction and physical abuse, arson, and Gender-Based Violence, ransom taking, restrictions on the right to free movement, interference with the right to vote.

Throughout the year 2023, the conflict-stricken North West, South West and Far North Regions of Cameroon continued facing serious human rights violations and abuses. The increase in the violations and abuses was as a result of the degenerating violence in these regions resulting to insecurity, and rendering administrative services very difficult to handle, especially in the enclaved areas. Though the government made some efforts to investigate some of these violations and abuses, the output of most of these investigations were never made known to the general public. This is particular with violations implicating defense and security forces and/or administrative authorities. Most of the times, investigations were launched but the outcome of such investigations were never made known to the press, civil society and the general public.

Since the beginning of the conflict in the North West and South West Regions in 2016, the security situation of these regions became volatile. In the year 2023, we noticed that some events escalated the ongoing armed conflict in one way or the other. These events include: the refusal of the state to commit to the Canada led pre-talks; Youth Day Celebration, Mt Cameroon Race of Hope; Women’s Day celebration; 20 may celebration, Back to school resumption; On 20 January 2023, Global Affairs Canada announced that they were officially going to mediate between the ‘Ambazonia’ Separatist Groups and Cameroon Government authorities but it later failed due to refusal by Cameroonian authorities. This particular event led to the escalation of the armed conflict as more killings and destructions were perpetrated by both the state and non-state armed groups thereafter. This simply confirmed that both parties to the conflict are still bent on their resolve to pursue a military option of the resolution of the conflict. The celebration of the Cameroon Youth

Day (11 February), the commemoration of International Women’s Day (8 March), and the celebration of National Unity Day (20 May) contributed to the escalation of the violence as there were calls for ghost towns and life threats from separatist fighters against civilians who attempted to participate in the celebrations. The Mount Cameroon Race of Hope which took place on 25 February also contributed to the escalation of the armed conflict as separatist fighters called for a lockdown, aimed at paralyzing this event, and went further to attack athletes with Improvised Explosive Devices. The Senatorial Elections of 12 March 2023, saw “Ambazonia’ Separatist Groups threaten those participating to dare participate in the elections and face them.

In the year 2023, there was equally an escalation of conflicts between the armed Fulani militias, the civilian population and armed separatists in the North West Region of Cameroon. The conflict stems from the protracted farmer-grazer-oriented land conflict between the Fulani and Natives of the North West Region. We recorded a number of incident, especially in the Nwa Sub-division and Momo Division of the Northwest Region. Still in that light, we also recorded a significant number of human rights abuses by the Fulani militias crossing from Nigeria to the Donga Matung Division of the North West Region.

Attacks against traditional and religious authorities in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon also witnessed a significant increase. Some of these attacks led to killings, ill-treatment, kidnapping and ransom taking, excommunication, life threats and so on. There was also an increase in attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram Insurgency Group members. The Boko Haram used landmines and lethal weapons to attack the military, vigilante group members and civilians. These attacks also resulted in theft of civilian property, burning of homes and business places and killing of animals in the Far North Region.

TRENDS IN THE NORTH WEST AND SOUTH WEST REGIONS.

There was an increase in targeted attacks against those supporting warring parties in one way or the other. For example, the separatist fighters increased attacks against those they termed ‘black legs’ while the government forces increased the crackdown on ex-fighters who had dropped arms but didn’t submit themselves to Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) centers. There was also an increase in the burning of homes belonging to separatist fighters and or those suspected of supporting the separatist activities. The Cameroonian authorities also cracked down on the networks of those supporting the ‘Ambazonia war’ and targeted their frontline leaders. As a result, some frontline ‘Ambazonia Generals’ like ‘General No Pity’ were killed. Thus, an increase in targeted killings, arbitrary arrests/detention and kidnappings.
In 2023, we also witnessed an increase in threats against traditional rulers as well as traditional institutions both from the State and Separatist fighters in the North West and South West Regions. The Separatists continued to attack traditional rulers mostly because they are the auxiliaries of the administration and also their participation in government-organized initiatives or in activities aimed at promoting peace in the North West and South West Regions of the country. In some instances, government officials targeted and threatened traditional rulers for allegedly collaborating with the separatist fighters. As was the case with the threats meted against the Fon of Mbiame by the Senior Divisional Officer of Bui Division of the North West Region.
Another development was the introduction of the so-called ‘Liberation Tax’. A separatist movement, ‘Ambazonia Governing Council’ with its fighters ‘Ambazonia Defense Forces’ imposed what they termed ‘Liberation Tax’ on civilians and business owners in the North West and South West Regions. In addition to the economic hardship, this tax resulted in protests against its implementation in several localities in the North West and South West Regions. In relation to the reaction from the international community and the commitment of the warring parties towards finding a more peaceful solution, there were proposed peace talks including the failed Canadian-led peace negotiations processes in which both the hardline warring parties for the first time participated/met and discussed with each other in the pre-phase of the proposed talks.

METHODOLOGY

To document this report, CHRDA carried out field monitoring through our staff and focal point persons in various localities in the conflict-affected regions; carried out observations in courts; observation of the conflict trends; and analyzed comments and reports from the national and international stakeholders and media reports. We also carried out interviews with victims, eyewitnesses and stakeholder s. We used digital tools, including but not limited to the CHRDA’s android application (Community Reporter), Social media and other digital tools to collect and analyze our data. Click the link below to Downloads the full report

RECOMMENDATIONS

To state authorities/ State Defense and Security Forces and Non State Armed Groups
The Cameroon government should speed up judicial proceedings against persons arrested in the context of the conflict. These proceeding should be fair and in accordance with international standards. This will lead to the release all unlawfully incarcerated within the context of the Anglophone conflict.

• The State should be transparent in its reports on the progress of investigations opened against state agents especially State Defense and Security Forces accused of committing human rights violations. This will be a prove justice not only being done but justice seen to be done.
• CHRDA recommends that the warring parties in the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon should initiate a truthful and sincere mediated dialogue to resolve the ongoing armed conflict.
• We urge the State Defense and Security Forces and Separatist Fighters to exercise restraint and desist from committing human rights violations and abuses, especially attacks against civilians and their properties.
• We urge all parties to the conflict in North West and South West regions to stop attacks on journalists and human rights defenders. This will greatly permit civil society to function properly and reverse the issue of shrinking civic space.
• We call on separatist fighters and their leadership to stop attacks on school infrastructure, teachers, school children and other academic stakeholders.
• The Cameroon Government should ensure that Non-governmental Organizations and INGOs have safe access to places like detention centres without undue restrictions.
• We call on judicial authorities to judiciously exercise their function of administration of justice and the promotion of the rule of law in accordance with the regulations in force as well as in accordance with the International Commitments that Cameroon is a party to.
  In the Far North Region, the Cameroon Government should foster civil-military  cooperation and also increase security measures in the region in order to curb the frequent attacks from the Boko Haram militias on the population and also educate the population on vigilante measures.
• We encourage the Cameroon government to increase security measures in the Far-North Regions to protect civilians and their properties from the Boko Haram attacks in the region

To the friends of Cameroon and the international community

CHRDA recommend that the international community continues to pressurize the State of Cameroon to respect its international Human rights as well as humanitarian law commitments.

• CHRDA urge the international community to continue to use all the available means to make the State of Cameroon as well as separatist fighters and their leadership to adopt a sincere, inclusive and negotiated dialogue as a means of resolving the conflict in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon.
• CHRDA calls on the International Community to urge the state of Cameroon to investigate and prosecute persons suspected of committing crimes against humanity in the context of the Anglophone conflict.
• CHRDA calls on the international community to continue to publicly condemn human rights violations and abuses committed by Cameroon Defense and Security Forces and armed separatists.
• CHRDA calls on the International Community should hold accountable persons instigating violence and promoting the violation of human rights in Cameroon, especially those resident in Foreign countries.

Berinyuy Cajetan, Publisher

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.