Cameroon Defense Ministry Describes Killings In Ngarbuh As Collateral Damages
Cameroon’s Defense Minister has said that Soldiers did not target civilians in Ngarbuh village where at least 32 died in Donga Mantung Division, North West region.
Joseph Beti Assomo said it was an accident following an explosion in the midst of a gun battle between soldiers and Ambazonia fighters. He says only 5 were killed.
But residents said there was no confrontation because the soldiers came at night and killed the civilians in their sleep.
When Soldiers murdered women and children in the far North region, the government said it was on Mali bit they later apprehended the culprits after media report with satellites, gave every evidence they were government forces.
REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
Paíx – Travail – Patrie Peace – Work – Fatherland PRESIDENCE DE LA REPUBLIQUE PRESIDENCY OF THE REPUBLIC MINISTRY OF DEFENSE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE Yaoundė FEB 17, 2020 N ° 0104 CRP / MINDEF / 019
PRESS RELEASE
Several photographs appeared Saturday, February 15, 2020, on social networks report a massacre perpetrated the previous day against the populations of Ngarbuh village, Ndu district, Donga-Mantung Department, North West Region. The act of inhuman cruelty that some propagandist activists attribute to the armed groups and the Defense Forces would have resulted in the death of several people, women and children included.
The Minister Delegate to the Presidency in charge of Defense formally denies these false allegations, and specifies, in the light of the methodically and professionally cross-checked information that it is quite simply an unfortunate accident, a collateral consequence of the ongoing security operations in the region. Indeed, on February 14, 2020, a group of o6 elements of the Defense Forces including o4 soldiers and o2 Gendarmes informed by repentants carried out a night reconnaissance approach on foot towards a house in Ngarbu transformed into fortified camps, a real logistical base of illicit goods, reception of armaments and ammunition of all calibers, and storage and resale of narcotic drugs.
Taken to task by heavy fire from the fortified refuge, the response of the elements of the Police will allow putting out of harm’s way 07 of the terrorists present on the scene. The fighting will continue until the explosion of several fuel containers, followed by a violent fire that will affect some neighboring homes.
This fire left five victims, including a woman and four children, far from what is reported in social networks. Secessionist terrorist propaganda soon added to the macabre staging on social media of alleged images of the dead of Ngarbu, old photos of the neutralization of o4 terrorists in the Department of Mezam in 2019, and which unfortunately counted by their side a woman. An in-depth investigation was immediately opened around this regrettable incident and concomitantly entrusted to the National Gendarmerie and Military Security. The conclusions of this survey will be widely disseminated.
/ – Frigat e ATONFACK GUEMO Cupitatne Communication Division Manager
