“Nowhere to be safe” – Cameroonians trapped between separatists and soldiers
Ngabi Dora was consumed by grief and could hardly stand alone.
Her husband, Johnson Mabia, has a coffin sits among a group of tragic losers in Limbe, a region that has witnessed such a scene before.
During his time, Johnson – an English-speaking civil servant – five colleagues were captured by armed separatists.
The militants are – still – fighting for the independence of the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, a major French-speaking country. A nearly decade of conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and delayed life in the region.
Four years ago, when he was kidnapped, Dora struggled to reach Johnson. When she finally heard from separatist militants, they demanded a ransom of over $55,000 (£41,500) in 24 hours to secure his release. Dora then received another call from Johnson's relative.
“He said…I should take care of the kids. My husband is no longer. I don't even know what to do. He traveled Tuesday and he was kidnapped. He was killed Friday,” Dora said.
The separatist in charge was not only murdered, but also beheaded Johnson and left his body on the way.
Originally, demonstrations in 2016 and 2017, then escalated into conflict [AFP]
The root of the separatist struggle lies in long-standing dissatisfaction, which extended to complete independence in 1961 and the formation of Cameroonian states in 1972, in the former British and French territories.
Since then, English-speaking minorities have been angry at the erosion of rights by the central government. Johnson was just an innocent bystander, trapped in an increasingly cruel battle of self-determination, and the government desperately tried to eliminate the uprising.
The current wave of violence began about a decade ago.
At the end of 2016, peaceful protests began to oppose what is believed to be the spread of the legal system in the French-language legal system. The French and English sections of Cameroon use different judicial systems.
The protests spread rapidly and called for the closure of stores and institutions.
The response from the security forces was direct and serious – people were beaten, intimidated and mass arrests. The African Union calls it “fatal and disproportionate use of violence”.
The Ministry of Defense in Cameroon did not respond to requests for comment on this or other issues in this article.
Armed groups were established. And, as tensions escalate, the English separatist leaders declared independence because they called it the Federal Federal Republic of Anbazania.
“We used to wake up on the bodies on the street. Or you heard that the house had set fire.”
To date, 5 million English-speaking Cameroonians have been dragged into the conflict, equivalent to one-fifth of the total population. At least 6,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were forced to be killed.
“We used to wake up on the streets and go to the corpses on the streets,” said Blaise Eyong, a journalist from the Kenberon English Southwest who worked with his family in 2019 on a documentary about the crisis of the BBC Africa Eye and was forced to appear with his family.
“Or you heard that the house had set fire. Or you heard that someone was kidnapped. People's body parts were cut off. How do you live in a city, and every morning, you worry about whether your relatives are safe?”
There are many countries and international attempts to resolve the crisis, including what the government calls “main country dialogue” in 2019.
Although negotiations have established a special status for two English-speaking regions of the country, which recognize their unique history, are rarely resolved in fact.
Felix Agbor Nkongho, a barrister, was one of the leaders of the 2016 protests and was later arrested.
He told BBC Africa's Eye: “There was a time…most people thought that if they needed to be safe, they would go to separatists.”
“But over the last two years, I don't think anyone who makes sense would think that separatists would be the one who protects them. So everyone should die for us and I'm going to go independence, I ask: Who are you going to rule?”
But it’s not just separatists who are accused of abuse.
Organizations such as Human Rights Watch documented the brutal response of security forces to the English independence movement. They have documented the burning and torture of the village, illegal arrests and wars that the outside world is invisible to the outside world in a war.
Examples of state-sponsored cruel acts are not difficult to find.
John's attention with BBC Africa is not anonymous, he suffered torture and was forced to sign documents without reading their content [BBC]
John (not his real name) and a close friend were detained by Cameroonian military forces and were accused of purchasing weapons as separatist groups.
John recalls that after being imprisoned, they were given a document that they were told to sign without a chance to read its contents. When they refused, the torture began.
“That was when they divided us into different rooms,” John said. “They tortured [my friend]. All you can hear is they whipping everywhere. I can feel my body [too]. They beat me everywhere. Later they told me he accepted and signed it and they allowed him to go. ”
But this is not true.
A month after his arrest, another man arrived in John's cell. He told him that his friend actually died in the room where he was detained and tortured.
“I just live in fear because I really don't know where to start or where to start or where or how to start,” John said.
You can watch the full movie, Bleeding Land, here
Part of the separatists’ strategy to weaken the state and its security forces is pushing for banning education, which they say is a tool for government propaganda.
In October 2020, a school in Kunba was attacked. No one claimed responsibility for the atrocities, but the government blamed separatists. The man holding a machete and a gun killed at least seven children.
The incident sparked some time, which triggered international anger and condemnation.
“Almost half of the schools in the area have been closed,” Eyong said.
“The whole child missed their education. Imagine that this will have an impact on our community and our country.”
John Ewom (R) can be seen patrolling the streets of Boua in English Cameroon and searching for separatists [BBC]
It seems that violence between the government forces and various separatist groups is not enough, and another front was opened in the war. Armed groups in separatist areas have emerged to fight the Ambassaus to maintain the Cameroonian United.
One of the groups' leader John Ewome (known as Moja Moja), often led patrols in Buea to find separatists until he was arrested in May 2024.
He was also accused of human rights violations, public humiliation and torture of futile civilians were considered separatist sympathizers. He denied the charges. He told the BBC: “I never put my hands on any civilians. It's just the Ambassau. I believe the God of this land is with me.”
Meanwhile, the cycle of kidnapping and killing continues.
Joe (not his real name) – Like Johnson, he was taken hostage by a separatist group, keen to maintain control and cash out through fear.
Joe said: “I walked into the house and found my child and my wife on the floor as the commander sat in the kitchen with the gun close to him. Around, my neighbors were taken away and my landlord was taken away. So when I saw them, I knew it was my turn.”
He was taken to the forest with 15 other people and witnessed the execution of two of his captives. But after the army discovered the camp, he was eventually released.
Johnson wasn't so lucky, and about two years after his funeral, it was reported that five of his colleagues were not kidnapped by him. Their bodies have just been discovered.
Now more families will have to try to deal with huge losses. For Ngabi Dora Tue, sitting on her lap with her little one, the future is almost overwhelming.
“I have debts that have to be settled, and I don't even know how to solve them,” she said.
“I thought of selling my body.
The BBC asked the Ambasonian Defence Force (ADF) to respond, which the country claims to be the largest separatist force.
It replied that separatist fighter diversity now operates in the English-speaking areas.
The ADF said it operates in international law and does not attack government workers, schools, journalists or civilians.
Instead, it accuses individuals and edge entities of acting on their own, which are not ADF members of these attacks.
The group also accused government infiltration of atrocities while claiming to be an Ambassonian fighter in protest of the local population’s struggle against liberation.
More information from BBC African Eyes:
go bbcafrica.com More news about the African continent.
Follow us on Twitter @bbcafrica,on Facebook BBC Africa Or on Instagram bbcafraca
BBC Africa Podcast
