Amnesty International has reported that security forces, separatist rebels and ethnic militiamen – from both sides of the country's linguistic divide – have committed "atrocities" in the English-speaking regions of western Cameroon, including executions, torture and rape.
In a report released Tuesday, Amnesty International has found new evidence of abuses in the country's Northwest Region – one of two western regions where anglophone militants declared independence from the majority francophone state in 2017.
The declaration of an independent state of Ambazonia – which has never been recognised internationally – triggered a crackdown by the government in Yaoundé.
The new investigation sheds light on militias in Cameroon's northwest region that are drawn from the Mbororo community – Fulani herders with a long history of conflict with sedentary farmers.
Our latest report on #Cameroon exposes atrocities committed by armed separatists, militias and members of the defense and security forces in the North-West region since 2020. https://t.co/S12BucHqRv
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) July 4, 2023
Civilians caught in the cross-fire
The report says that civilians are "caught between the army, armed separatists and militias."
"The Mbororo Fulani populations have been quickly targeted by armed separatists, in part because they are perceived as supporting the authorities in power."
"As the situation deteriorated, militias mainly composed of Mbororo Fulani – supported or tolerated by the authorities – committed abuses against the [settled] population."
The report also documents what it says are killings, rape and property destruction by the defence and security forces themselves.
According to the human rights NGO, "the government has announced the opening of investigations on human rights violations committed by armed forces' elements.
"However, for many cases, there has been no further information released, raising impunity concerns.
Witnesses 'silenced'
Amnesty says the authorities in Cameroon are attempting to silence human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, and the media from speaking out against atrocities.
"Armed separatists also threaten those exposing their crimes," the report adds
The rights group said it was concerned that Cameroon's partners – including Belgium, Britain, Croatia, France, Israel, Russia and Serbia – were continuing to supply arms "which highly risk" being used by the various groups to commit crimes.
A Second Look at Cameroon’s Anglophone Special Statushttps://t.co/0aivxlz1iO
— Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup) April 2, 2023
According to an estimate from the International Crisis Group think tank, the conflict in Cameroon's northwest and neighbouring southwest regions has claimed around 6,000 lives and forced more than a million from their homes over the past six years.
Amnesty says the latest report was based on two missions in November 2022 and March 2023 in which its investigators spoke to more than 100 victims of crimes as well as journalists and human rights activists.
The NGO added that requests to meet government ministers did not receive a reply.
