Cameroonian separatists’ jailing sparks shutdown protest in anglophone region

The conflict has killed some 2,000 people and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes
Cameroonian separatists' jailing sparks shutdown protest in anglophone region

Cameroon’s anglophone regions were in shutdown on Monday as schools and shops closed in protest at the sentencing of charismatic separatist leader Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to life in prison.

Troops were seen patrolling the streets in flashpoint areas and in Bamenda, the capital of the anglophone Northwest Region, residents reported hearing sporadic shooting and explosions.

Since 2017, Cameroon’s army has battled anglophone separatists seeking an independent state in response to perceived discrimination from the country’s francophone majority. 

The conflict has killed some 2,000 people and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. 

After two years of fighting, schools across English-speaking regions, for the most part, have remained shut, and the government and civil-society organisations had wanted children to return to school as normal this September. 

Your Friends Also Read:  Uganda Election: Security Personnel Shoots Supporters of Parliamentary Candidate

However, separatist leaders decided to put anglophone towns on shutdown from Monday for a period of two weeks, after a military court last month sentenced Ayuk Tabe, in a ruling many feared would deepen the crisis.

“It seems that most residents in the Northwest and Southwest regions are abiding by the lockdown,” James Nunan, the head of the UN’s humanitarian affairs office (OCHA) in the two areas, told reporters.

Most schools and shops remained closed in Buea, the capital of the Southwest region, according to a local charity worker who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons. Other Buea residents confirmed the city was at a standstill.

Your Friends Also Read:  Assets court finds Nigeria's chief judge guilty of fraud

Flashes of violence were reported in Bamenda.

“Soldiers are occupying the streets and very few people have left their houses,” said a regional official who chose to remain anonymous.

Two other Bamenda residents said there had been unrest. “The streets are full of soldiers, no-one is outside, we heard gunshots in the city this morning,” said one. Another reported hearing explosions. 

Reporters were unable to independently confirm the reports. 

Separatists have been pursuing the so-called “dead city” protest tactic since 2017, bringing towns to a standstill every Monday.

English speakers — making up roughly one-fifth of Cameroon’s 24 million inhabitants — mostly live in the country’s Northwest Region and Southwest Region. 

Your Friends Also Read:  Court upholds ruling to ban child marriage in Tanzania

The regions, formerly a British colony, voted to join French-speaking Cameroon after the end of colonial rule six decades ago.


All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from News Central TV.

Contact: digital@newscentral.ng

Total
0
Shares

Leave a Reply

Previous Article
Court in Burkina Faso jails 2 generals over 2015 coup

Court in Burkina Faso jails 2 generals over 2015 coup

Next Article
Gabonese President Ali Bongo vows to "complete mission" despite failing health

Gabonese President Bongo undergoes 'routine medical checks' in London

Related Posts