Disturbing Images of Immolation of Baby at hands of Cameroon Army Triggers Worldwide Outrage.
The Norwegian Refugee Council has stated that the 4year long war in Cameroon is the most underreported conflict in the world. Independent media sources reported that more than 20,000 innocent civilians have been killed with more than one million displaced and as many as 130,000 refugees have crossed into Nigeria and Ghana. Government forces of the regime in Yaoundé have continuously attacked pro-independence activists from the self-declared Federal Republic of Ambazonia (2017). Human Rights representatives have been able only now to report the war crimes at the hands of the Camerounian regime.
The immolated baby in the arms of his father on February 11, 2021 in Batibo in the Northern Zone of Ambazonia was witnessed by many including the Cameroon Concord News Group team. The graphic images were unbearable to watch but for most it is a recurring nightmare for the past 4 years. Human rights groups on the ground have counted, over 550 villages set on fire by army ordered by authorities in Yaoundé the capital city. Active genocide is the only way to describe the gross acts witnessed in Batibo by government armed forces.
Dabney Yerima, a witness has said “…arson has been the M.O. policy of the regime to instil fear and devastation. We have hundreds of videos and photographs of Cameroun forces being ordered to burn houses, communities and villages. They are mercenaries.”
Documented reports from Human Rights organizations confirm murders and other atrocities have taken place including the specific target of children and pregnant women. The report has been less than optimist about a possible negotiation to end the carnage. The recording of the inhumane acts in Batibo instigated by the military only gives one message: more people will be murdered.
Soter Agbaw-Ebai, of the Cameroon Concord News Group stated that the atrocious killings in “Kwakwa and Ngarbuh are recurring nightmares. In Kwakwa, a 96-years old woman and an elderly man were immolated by military personnel in front of witnesses. In Ngarbuh, government troops massacred villages. The numbers are too great too count because many were set on fire in their homes. Innocent civilians are being targeted. This is a deliberate killing of the Amba people with the aim of destroying 8Million of us.”
US Politicians have been tweeting in the hope of getting more attention of the leadership in Yaounde. The only thing that needs to happen is for the government to actively accept to meet the pro-independence representatives to engage in a mediated dialogue held on neutral grounds. Since 2019, Sisiku Julius AyukTabe, the leader of the pro-independence movement and key members of the movement are imprisoned in Yaoundé. The Cameroonian diaspora is calling for an immediate dialogue to stop the slaughter.”
Dabney Yerima, on behalf of the thousands murderd is appealing for a “United Nations Mandated Fact-Finding Mission in the former UN Trust Territory of the British Southern Cameroon to investigate the atrocities happening in the Southern Cameroon region. This fact-finding mission will document the genocide committed targeting women, children and innocent civilians. It is the hope of the International community for the senseless killings to stop and for the guilty to be judged accordingly, at the International Criminal Court, if need be.”
Isong Asu has been reporting on the on-going crisis for the past four years
