A fatal attack, attributed to separatists, recently occurred in Buea, the capital of the South-West region of Cameroon. The incident, which took place on the night of January 30, resulted in at least one confirmed death and several injuries. The city was rocked by heavy gunfire, and videos that surfaced on social media showed armed individuals carrying out the attack, reportedly in response to the population’s non-compliance with their imposed “ghost town” order.
Private Cameroonian media, Canal 2, reported that the assailants initially targeted armed forces on patrol near a market in Buea before turning their attention to civilians, leading to car burnings. The Governor of the South-West region, Bernard Okalia, speaking to RFI’s journalist, confirmed that calm had returned to Buea by Tuesday, January 30.
Separatists in minority English-speaking parts of Cameroon have been fighting to carve out an independent state called Ambazonia since 2017. Photo Courtesy
This attack adds to the ongoing violence in Cameroon‘s South-West and North-West regions, where separatist fighters have been active for seven years. The groups frequently carry out kidnappings, killings, and attacks, forcing thousands of residents to flee and seek refuge in other regions. The insurgents began their violent campaign following the violent repression of civilian protests calling for greater representation for the country’s English-speaking minority.
Human Rights Watch, in January 2023, estimated that at least 6,000 civilians had been killed by both government forces and armed separatist fighters since the conflict’s escalation in late 2016. Additionally, a report by Amnesty International released in July highlighted the “atrocities” committed in Cameroon’s North-West region by security forces, separatist rebels, and ethnic militiamen.
