Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Cameroonian army of “killings” and “disappearances” in the crisis-ridden North West area in a new report released on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
The human rights NGO claims that “between 24 April and 12 June during counter-insurgency operations,” Cameroonian military “summarily killed at least 10 persons and perpetrated multiple other atrocities.” Additionally, it states that “soldiers demolished and robbed health centers, destroyed and arrested at least 26 persons arbitrarily, and allegedly forcibly disappeared about 17 others.”
The 53rd Motorised Infantry Battalion (BIM) soldiers carried out “a retaliation operation against a hamlet suspected of harboring separatist fighters” on June 1 in the village of Missong, which led in the deaths of nine people, “including four women and an 18-month-old girl,” according to HRW. On June 7, the military acknowledged that a detachment of the 53rd BIM that was “on a mission to look for a missing comrade” in Missong, Menchum department, reacted in a “inappropriate reaction” by killing nine civilians.
According to a statement from Captain Cyrille Atonfack, head of the Ministry of Defence’s (Mindef) communication division, “the soldiers will use their weapons in an inappropriate reaction, unsuited to the circumstances, and clearly disproportionate to the refusal to cooperate by hostile villagers fearing the worst for themselves and their missing comrade.” The latter stated that the “4 soldiers were demobilized (…) and placed under detention at the Gendarmerie Company of Bamenda” as a “precautionary step.”
In this battle, the Cameroonian army has already admitted to making mistakes, but it has stated that steps are being taken to ensure that “exactions that may be perpetrated by a few errant soldiers are carefully reviewed and, if necessary, lead to appropriate sanctions.” International NGOs and the UN frequently accuse the military and separatist organizations of abusing people in the North West and South West regions, which have been the scene of violent fighting since 2017.
