Recent killings in Bamenda County have renewed allegations of covert operations involving former Ambazonia fighters.
Local accounts have linked some suspects to former fighters now living at the Bamenda DDR Centre in Bafut.
The latest incidents include shootings and kidnappings reported across Nkwen and other parts of Bamenda. MMI News reported three civilians killed at a bar in Nkwen on September 14.
However, BaretaNews cannot independently verify claims that the attackers operated under government direction.
The allegation nevertheless points to a wider concern. Some former fighters have allegedly returned to the streets while presenting themselves as Ambazonia combatants.
Critics accuse Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji of using such networks to infiltrate and sabotage the armed struggle. No credible public evidence currently proves that Atanga Nji personally commands these alleged groups.
The Bamenda DDR Centre officially houses former separatist fighters who surrendered their weapons. Government sources reported about 705 residents at the centre in August 2026.
Therefore, the alleged involvement of individual former fighters does not establish collective responsibility by the DDR programme.
Still, the repeated accusations deserve independent investigation. Civilians continue to bear the cost whenever armed men operate under the Ambazonia name.
Across the Northern Zone, such attacks risk deepening mistrust and weakening the struggle’s credibility.
For BaretaNews, the central question remains simple. Who are these gunmen, who funds them, and who gives them their orders?
