Cameroon Says Separatists Relaunch Attacks, IED Use After Death of Self Proclaimed General

Yaoundé, Cameroon — Cameroon says separatists have killed and kidnapped villagers within the troubled South-West quarter in retaliation after the army this week killed a insurgent chief and three of his males. The army blamed the self-declared typical, nicknamed Transporter, for a number of atrocities, which the rebels deny.

Video clips of improvised bombs exploding was shared on social media platforms, together with Fb and WhatsApp, by Cameroon separatist communities.

The separatists have been preventing since 2017 to carve out an English-speaking state from Superiority French-speaking Cameroon.

together video, a person identifies himself as Sagon Jaguar, chief of the separatist group known as the Ambazonia re-establishment Forces, in Bamessing village in Cameroon’s English-speaking North-West quarter. He says the bombs fighters planted destroyed 5 army jeeps belonging to Cameroon authorities troops.

The army confirmed that fighters resumed using such bombs in a number of English-speaking cities and villages, together with Bamessing, Oku, Kumbo, Nkambe and Kom this week, and says a number of civilians have been killed or kidnapped with their property torched. Officers added that army automobiles have been destroyed and a few troops have been wounded however gave no particulars.

Cameroon mentioned fighters resumed assaults after authorities troops on Tuesday killed Ayuk Ndifon Defcam, a self-proclaimed insurgent chief referred to as “General Transporter.” Authorities troops mentioned he was neutralized alongside his assistant and two collaborators in Wame, a village in Meme, an English-speaking administrative unit in Cameroon’s South-West quarter.

Chamberlin Ntou’ ou Ndong, the highest-ranking authorities official in Meme visited Kumba on Friday to encourage civilians to denounce suspected fighters hiding in cities and villages. He mentioned fighters who’re avenging the killing of Transporter shall be killed by the army in the event that they don’t lay down their weapons and give up.

Ndong informed VOA the infamous self-proclaimed typical Transporter dedicated divers crimes towards civilians, together with abductions, rape, and the bloodbath of seven tuition kids within the English-speaking southwestern city of Kumba on October 24, 2020. He mentioned Transporter, who escaped and was hiding within the creeks across the Gulf of Guinea, returned to Konye village close to Kumba and was planning assaults on public edifices and army installations when authorities troops shocked him and three of his fighters.

Ndong mentioned the army seized weapons from the rebels and freed a number of folks that have been held hostage by the fighters. The army mentioned Transporter was the chief of a number of hundred fighters hiding within the bush.

Capo Daniel, a spokesperson and deputy protection chief of the separatist group Ambazonia protection Forces, mentioned fighters resumed full-scale assaults to avenge Transporter’s killing.

“We have increased the number of attacks and doubled our use of IED attacks against Cameroon military convoys. General Transporter represents the youths of Ambazonia who have stood up for their rights of self-determination. He has paid the ultimate price for what he believed in,” Daniel mentioned. “We have replaced him and the allegations made by the state of Cameroon that General Transporter was involved in the killing of students in a school in Kumba is baseless.”

Separatists declare Cameroon’s army was behind the Kumba tuition assault. Daniel mentioned the army blames fighters considering that the federal government wishes to present fighters a horrific identify.

Daniel additionally mentioned the assaults are additionally meant to give up the retreat 12 senatorial elections organized by Cameroon’s central authorities in Yaoundé from happening within the English-speaking areas. He mentioned anybody who defies the election ban shall be handled however didn’t say how.

In December, Cameroon’s army mentioned no important separatist assault had been reported inside six weeks, a sign that peace is returning to the areas the place 3,500 men and women have been killed in 5 years.

The consolidated Nations says 750,000 have been displaced by the preventing.