Akwaya: Oliti attacks Mesaka village, leaving dozens dead in intertribal war
On Friday, June 24, 2022, several villagers in Mesaka, in Akwaya Subdivision, Manyu Division in the South West region, were killed and others injured, a source told CNA.
Armed men allegedly sponsored by neighboring Oliti village stormed Mesaka community and caused havoc. Young men, women, children, and the elderly were massacred.
Some were killed while in their houses, others were decapitated while some were shot on their way to farms. CNA obtained images of corpses littered around the community with families wailing.
“It’s sad because these are neighbors farming together and carrying out a lot of activities together. Some sustained grave injuries and may likely not make it.” a source in Manyu told CNA.
In May 2022 the Mayor of Akwaya told the press that at least 17 people were killed and 65 others injured in an attack in the villages of Ajifu and Obonyi , by armed separatist fighters.
Akwaya is waking up again to dozens of people killed with some villagers pointing fingers at armed men stationed along the border between Nigeria and Cameroon.
“You know they are at the border and those guys easy enter from Nigeria where they get their fetish powers to operate,” a CNA correspondent reported on Sunday.
Unconfirmed sources put figures at 28 deaths.
Gunmen on a revenge mission
CNA sources say though both villages have had land dispute issues in the past, the recent killing was sparked by the murder of some named men who had mounted control posts in the Mesaka Ballin village. The armed men from Oliti then stormed the village during preparation for a party.
“Recently the people of Mesaka Ballin killed some boys who were disturbing their peace as they mounted illegal control post, the other villagers from Oliti did not respond until Friday when the tension increased leading to the killings. And from what I gathered the number of casualties is high because the victims were for a funeral even scheduled in the afternoon, but the boys came early in the morning while the funeral arrangements were still taking place.. If you watch the video kindly you will see flasks that were meant to carry food, destroyed.” A source who has knowledge of the incident said.
