Faces Behind Military Atrocities On Civilians In The Northwest Region

A) The former Inspector Number One at the National Gendarmerie headquarters, who also worked as Supervisor of the road safety campaign, Brigadier General Ekongwesse Divine Nnoko, was appointed on December 6, 2019, as Commander of the 5th Gendarmerie region based in Bamenda, North West region. The man who hails from the South West region, Bakossi land, and former EMIA student from the batch of “ 6 Novembre 1982” has worked as the Commander of the 3rd Military region based in Garoua. He has worked in Buea, Yaoundé, then to the North, back to Yaoundé and now Bamenda. Military atrocities in the North West region increased immediately after the Major National Dialogue till when they were appointed in December.

B) Governor Adolphe Lele L’Afrique, from the West region, is the representative of Paul Biya in the North West region, he commands all forces and can give directives and or cancel missions. His role in the ongoing conflict is vital. The North West region has witnessed close to half a dozen scenes where many describe as a massacre of the population by government forces. In many of the cases, the main primary targets of the soldiers are usually not the real target on the ground. Civilians have suffered several from such a scorched earth policy. The Pinyin, Bum, Bali, Mile 90, Ngarbu and many others.

C) Also commanding the forces in the North West region is Brigadier General Nka Valere, commander of the joint 5th military region based in Bamenda. He hails from the Centre/South region. He replaced late Jacob Kodji as the interim commander of the joint 4th military region based in Maroua in 2017, he later became commander of the brigade at the military headquarter in Yaoundé. The graduate from “Martin Paul Samba” at the Military Training Academy, EMIA, after his installation on December 24, 2019, said he was going to deal with Ambazonia fighters within a week.

Defense Minister, Joesph Beti Assomo, told them to wipe out all hideouts of Ambazonia fighters in the North West region. Since then, raids in villages and tripled, civilians killed in cold blood, but the fighters are still roaming the bushes in their hideouts. The number of civilian deaths and houses burned to ashes has increased tremendously.

The recent death of 27 civilians mostly women and children in Ngarbuh village, Donga Mantung division, has raised the question again…WHO OF THESE THREE GAVE ORDERS FOR SOLDIERS TO SHOOT AND BURN CIVILIANS ALIVE?

Compiled by Cameroon News Agency, CNA