A pro Yaoundé armed group that was created by the Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji to infiltrate Southern Cameroons Self Defense Groups has reportedly killed a thermal centre worker in Bamenda.

Cameroon Concord News understands the group which no longer receives Cameroon government funding, has now resorted to kidnappings for ransom all in a bid to survive.

The Paul Atanga Nji Boys abducted their victim on Thursday night, June 23 and murdered him as he attempted to escape from captivity.

Yaoundé has blamed the killing on Ambazonia Restoration Forces but at the time of filing this report, the Ambazonia Interim Government was yet to issue a statement on the incident.

After years of chafing at perceived marginalization and discrimination, the people of Southern Cameroons declared an the independent state in 2017 known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, triggering a crackdown by the Francophone authorities.

The spiral of fighting has claimed more than 10,000 lives and prompted more than a million people to flee their homes, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.

By Rita Akana in Bamenda

Two soldiers have been injured and one Boko Haram fighter killed in clashes in Cameroon’s Far North region, army and local sources said on Friday.

The clashes took place overnight into Friday in the Kiliari locality of the region.

Heavily armed militants of the terror group attempted to attack the locality but were repulsed by troops who were patrolling the area, an army official who opted for anonymity said.

One of the militants was found dead early Friday after the clashes which lasted for hours, the official said.

Militants of the group have increased attacks mostly on civilians over the last two months, killing several, torching houses and looting property, according to security reports.

Source: Xinhuanet

Cameron has deployed hundreds of troops along its border with Nigeria after attacks by Boko Haram militants forced more than 40,000 villagers over the past two months to flee the area. Cameroon’s defense minister is visiting the border to assess the security situation and assure villagers that it is safe to return home.

Cameroon’s military reports that Boko Haram incursions in Mayo Tsanaga, an administrative unit on its northern border with Nigeria, have increased drastically since April.

Each day, armed members of the Nigerian terror group cross over to Cameroon, attack villages and steal cattle and food, the military reports.

Cameroon’s defense minister, Joseph Beti Assomo, said Thursday President Paul Biya asked him to lead a delegation of top military officials to the border. Assomo, whose delegation was in Mokollo district where Mayo Tsanaga is located, says several hundred troops have been deployed to protect civilians and their goods.

He said that self-protection groups must cooperate with the army.

Assomo says all militias must henceforth be registered and controlled by local government officials and Cameroon military. He says militia group members should be people of unquestionable integrity. Assomo says government troops and local officials note that militias have been infiltrated by Boko Haram terrorists and adds that the military will energetically fight terrorists and bring back civilians trapped along the border with Nigeria.

Ousman Aliou is from Duvan, a village on the border with Nigeria. He says except for a few elderly persons, almost everybody has escaped from Duvan. He spoke via a messaging app from Mokollo.

“Duvan has got 10,000 population and when I went there last week, I saw only 15 people in Duvan,” Aliou said. “So, I am asking Mr. Minister to do something for us please. Come and help us. Our people are sleeping on the mountain.”

In May, villagers along Cameroon’s northern border with Chad and Nigeria organized daily protests in front of government offices demanding the military protect them.

Vohod Deguime is mayor of the Mokollo district. He says if the military had responded more quickly to the villagers’ plea, civilians would have been spared from fleeing their homes.

He says the situation is getting worse as the days go by. He says several dozen villages have been destroyed over three weeks by Boko Haram, and food and cattle stolen. Deguime says more than 30,000 of the 40,000 Cameroonians who have escaped from their villages are hiding in bushes on the border with Nigeria.

Deguime said some of the fleeing villagers are finding refuge in host communities in safer border localities.

Local media reports that Cameroon recently withdrew some of its troops from the northern border with Nigeria and Chad and redeployed them to fight separatist rebels in the west of the country. Cameroon’s military dismiss the claims and say troops are always on standby to defend civilians when the need arises.

Source: VOA

The Office of the Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government says its findings have revealed that Francophone security agents killed Southern Cameroons journalist Samuel Wazizi.

“We find that the wounds as reported by pro Yaoundé uniform officers came from torture by Biya regime security forces,” Professor Carlson Anyangwe told Cameroon Concord News on Thursday.

“It is very disturbing that French Cameroun prison authorities have not conducted a criminal investigation. The Ambazonia Interim Government has concluded its independent investigation into the incident. Journalist Samuel Wazizi was murdered by La Republique du Cameroun agents and not from any undisclosed illness, as initially claimed by the French Cameroun authorities,” Anyangwe added.

The much respected Southern Cameroons front line figure pointed out that the Ambazonia Interim Government found no information suggesting that there was any link between Samuel Wazizi and any armed Southern Cameroons group.

Providing further details, Professor Carlson Anyangwe said on the day of his arrest the late Samuel Wazizi had made a concerted effort to be visible as a prominent member of the Anglophone press to Francophone soldiers deployed to crush the Ambazonian uprising.

News anchor and camera operator Samuel Wazizi, whose legal name was Samuel Ajiekha Abuwe, died in government custody in Yaoundé, on August 17, 2019, according to a statement released on June 5, 2020, by the Francophone dominated Cameroonian military. He had been arrested two weeks earlier in relation to his reporting. The precise circumstances and location of his death, which was not announced until 10 months later, are unknown.

Wazizi, who hosted the “Halla ya Matta” (Shout out your Problem) weekday pidgin show on local broadcaster Chillen Muzik TV, was arrested by police in Buea on August 2, 2019, according to a statement by his employer. The officers “claimed that he was being invited by their boss to get information about a certain ‘pidgin news,’” according to that statement.

Wazizi also worked as a freelancer and collaborated with other journalists on reporting projects, according to local journalists Yannick Fonki and Paul Mua, and Derick Jato, president of the Southwest chapter of the Cameroon Journalists’ Trade Union.

By Isong Asu in London

Dominic Ongwen has parted ways with his lead counsel lawyer Krispus Auena Odongo.

Ongwen who is serving a 25-year jail term in Den Hague for committing atrocities in Uganda has hired Cameroonian-born Chief Charles Achalette Taku.

Chief Taku a prominent traditional ruler deep within the Lebialem constituency in Southern Cameroons has reportedly notified the International Criminal Court that he will be lead defence counsel for the remaining appeal proceedings.

By Enowtaku Ebanghatabi Christelle with files from Soft Power Uganda

The situation in the North-West and South-West (NWSW) regions remained concerning, with continued hostilities, targeted attacks, destruction of property, and continued use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The population continues to bear the brunt of violent incidents, either targeted directly or being affected by the consequences of IEDs or crossfire. Partners reported multiple displacements across the NWSW caused by violence. Over 37,800 persons were reportedly displaced to nearby bushes and villages, with Meme in the SW and Bui in the NW being the most affected divisions. Most of the displacements are pendular and temporary as displaced persons return to their homes once the security situation allows.

There have been positive developments in the fight against the cholera epidemic in the SW, but the epidemic is not yet tackled. The SW regional delegation of public health reported a drop in the number of positive cases in April compared to previous months thanks to joint efforts of the regional health authorities, and Health/WASH Clusters’ partners. Some areas in Ndian division, affected by the cholera epidemic, can only be accessed by boat, further complicating the cholera response.

Humanitarian access remains possible but challenging, requiring significant efforts for organizations to be able to conduct all necessary access negotiations and ensure safe humanitarian operations.

Activities of a humanitarian NGO, which was not authorized by local authorities to operate in Ekondo-Titi subdivision (Ndian division of the SW), remained suspended in the division by the NGO, impacting the health assistance. This comes in addition to the continued suspension of operations by another NGO in the SW since March 2022, in response to the continued detention of two of its staff.

Four staff from a local NGO were abducted by unidentified armed elements when returning from a distribution activity in Widikum, Momo division of the NW, together with their vehicle. The team was later released but the car was not returned.

In two separate incidents, food aid trucks were diverted in two localities of the NW region but returned after negotiations with the assailants.

Attacks against school staff and educational premises continued. In four different incidents, thirteen students and three teachers were abducted, only to be released after payment of ransom. Two schools in Buea suffered arson attacks, on 4 and 6 April, by unknown armed men.

Fourteen incidents with IEDs were reported in April, deployed by non-State armed groups (NSAGs) against State security forces. Eight IEDs were detonated in the NW, five in the SW, and one IED in the SW was deactivated by security forces.

The United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) services remain suspended across the NWSW.

About 2 million people affected by the NWSW crisis need humanitarian assistance and 1.4 million of the most vulnerable are targeted by humanitarian partners for assistance in 2022. Over $135.9 million are requested to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable. Limited funding has been a major constraint in the response to humanitarian needs with only 54 per cent of the required funding for the HRP 2021 received.

Culled from UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

The Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government says Southern Cameroons liberation and sovereignty cannot be achieved as long as some front line figures and groups continue to serve Biya regime interest in the homeland.  

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Dabney Yerima stressed that the journey to Buea is getting longer than expected because some in the diaspora are seeing themselves as political leaders instead of liberators.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Yerima said every inch of the Southern Cameroons territory will be liberated from the occupying Francophone army soldiers very soon.

“The Ambazonian resistance has been going on for five years now! Our people should be ready to continue fighting because the ultimate goal of the struggle is to liberate the Ambazonian homeland and restore Southern Cameroons sovereignty over every inch of their geography” Yerima said.

Vice President Dabney Yerima warned the SDF party leadership of serious consequences of its criminal acts and provocative measures against the people of Southern Cameroons.  Yerima furthered that Biya acolytes including Joshua Osih and Fru Ndi will never succeed in bringing the Ambazonia Interim Government to its knees.

By Isong Asu with files from Chi Prudence Asong

Manyu Origin Women Association MOWA Ireland born in Dublin on March 2022 has joined the list of international donors for the reconstruction of the Mamfe District Hospital. MOWA Ireland will partner with the team headed by Minister Victor Mengot to rebuild the Mamfe District Hospital destroyed by sadists and arsonists on the 8th of June 2022.

MOWA Ireland, an organization created to safeguard and promote Manyu cultural heritage in the diaspora announced a million CFA Franc donation to the Minister Victor Mengot team in Yaoundé and the group reportedly agreed to take over the running of the maternity ward of the Mamfe District Hospital until the reconstruction process is completed.

The grant from MOWA Ireland was made public by its leader Lady Marie Esther Ayuk at the association’s headquarters at Bremore Pastures Park, Balbriggan. Ms. Esther Ayuk stated that the one million cfa franc will help re-establish the hospital and provide primary and secondary health care in Mamfe town, including emergency services

Speaking exclusively to Cameroon Concord News, Lady Marie Esther Ayuk said “Thanks to the generosity of the 15 loving Manyu sisters in MOWA Ireland, the Mamfe General Hospital will be able to better meet the medical needs of the community, and this is crucial as people continue to rebuild their lives”.

Following the attack on the hospital, all vital imaging suites, including general X-Ray, CT scan and other technologies were destroyed, as well as medical records.

The MOWA Ireland grant fulfills a commitment made by the group during their first official outing in the Irish state that attracted Manyu citizens from all over the world.

For her part, the Secretary General of MOWA Ireland Mrs Enowmbi Robertina Ashu Ayem opined that “If we sit and enjoy life here in the West and do nothing, our people will die”.

The MOWA Ireland support comes despite Europe’s fragile economy, falling salaries and weak currency due to the war in Ukraine.

By Diamond Esoh in Balbriggan  

The Ambazonia Interim Government has once again reiterated that the people of British Southern Cameroons will never forget the current massacre and other countless Francophone army soldier crimes over the past decades.

Addressing members of the Manyu Liberation Council in Ground Zero and Ground One on the issue of the Mamfe District Hospital late on Monday, the Vice President of the Ambazonia Interim Government Dabney Yerima vowed to keep up the struggle for the liberation of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia and the return of all Southern Cameroons refugees in Nigeria and IDPs to the homeland.

Vice President Dabney Yerima told the members of the Manyu Liberation Council in Ground Zero and in Ground One that crimes and massacres committed by Francophone soldiers, DOs and SDOs including the destruction of the Mamfe District Hospital are undeniable and added that Ambazonia Restoration Forces and the Interim Government will remain loyal to the martyrs’ blood and sacrifices and uphold their path until La Republique du Cameroun is ousted and removed from the Ambazonian homeland.

For over five years now, the Biya Francophone gangs are committing heinous massacre against the people of Southern Cameroons and Francophone troops from Beti Ewondo tribal extractions have murdered at least 15,000 men, women, and infants in Southern Cameroons.

Vice President Dabney Yerima pointed out that the Biya French Cameroun crimes against the people of Southern Cameroons are exposing the criminal nature of the French backed regime in Yaoundé.  

Yerima concluded that killings going on in Southern Cameroons are a French Cameroun policy of establishing and then maintaining a demographic majority. He added that Francophone Senior Divisional Officers and civil administrators appointed to Southern Cameroons are also involved in a criminal venture of maximizing control over Ambazonian lands in the CDC.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged Nigerians to support, protect and care for the over 77,000 Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria.

Tesfaye Bekele, the head of the Ogoja sub-office of (UNHCR) in Cross River, appealed on Monday in Ogoja local government to commemorate the 2022 World Refugee Day.

“This year, UNHCR calls for greater support and protection of people forced to flee their homes, whoever they are, wherever they come from, and whenever they are forced to flee,” stated Mr Bekele. “People forced to flee should be welcomed and not discriminated against. To get out of harm’s way, they might take a plane, a boat, or travel on foot. What remains universal is the right to seek safety.”

Speaking on the 2022 theme of World Refugee Day, ‘Whoever, Wherever, Whenever, everyone has the right to seek safety’, Mr Bekele explained that the day should serve as a reminder to the government to do more to prevent and resolve conflict and crises.

Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, represented by Princewill Ayim, the director-general of Cross River Emergency Management Agency, commended UNHCR for supporting the refugees.

Mr Ayade noted that there was a need for government at all levels to show concerted efforts towards resolving all conflicts that lead to crises.

“We have done everything necessary to ensure that the refugees live in peace with the host communities in all the settlements that are in Ogoja local government area with adequate security,” he noted.

Andy Ubon, a representative of the National Commission for Refugees office, assured Cameroonian refugees of their safety, protection and care in the county.

The UN estimated that 77,000 Cameroonian refugee men, women, and children are registered in Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Enugu, and Taraba.

Source: NAN