Ambazonians Arrested in Douala & Dschang – La Republique for Speaking English

BaretaNews has been contacted by members of some Ambazonian families in Dschang, West Region of LRC and Douala, the Economical capital of LRC, to report the arrest and illegal detention of their love ones for speaking English in their neighborhoods. These reports are coming few days after LRC officials in these two neighboring towns to Ambazonia decided to start harassing Ambazonian citizens to check what they called the infiltration of “secessionist terrorists.”

In Douala, an Ambazonian who hails from the Northern Zone, was arrested by the police three days ago in his Bonamoussadi, residence, after his Francophone neighbors allegedly reported him to the police as suspected secessionist. The neighbors’ suspicions were informed by the fact that the Ambazonian citizen is always speaking English Language in his interactions with neighbors and family and has never been heard speaking in French.

According to family members, the victim was at home with his family on that fateful day, when a visitor rang the doorbell. The wife is said to have opened the door to behold a mixed team of LRC military terrorists who came in and arrested the husband of the house.

The uninvited visitors told the family that neighbors (who are said to be LRC citizens), had called the police to report them as suspected secessionist. “That they have been noted for always speaking English both in the neighborhood and in their home” the family member said.

The family head was reportedly taken to the Gendarmerie headquarters in Douala and has remained in custody since then.

In Dschang, a town in the West Region and closed to Lebialem County in Ambazonia, some Ambazonian citizens were also arrested in their neighborhoods and locked up for speaking English. Reports say the arrested citizens are still being held in custody.

According to Eye witnesses in the area, the local administrators had held a security meeting last week in which it was agreed that the population should report any person speaking English in their neighborhoods. Another resolution in the said meeting was that any individual transporting food stuffs from Lebialem to Dschang or any town within LRC should be intercepted and arrested.

These measures, reported our sources are meant to check the infiltration of Ambazonian fighters in their territory.

As they continue to harass Ambazonians in their territory, they must not also forget that they have citizens in Ambazonia. Nobody has the monopoly of harassment. LRC citizens Ambazonia have even been very provocative and serving as informants of the colonial regime for a long time now. No major action has been taken against them.

That doesn’t mean Ambazonians have not been seeing them. The peace-loving people have simply been waiting for what is currently happening in LRC – harass, molest and illegally detain Ambazonians before they can react. And that reaction will certainly come if the harassment continues. After all, LRC citizens in Ambazonia have been advised to return home for their own security.

James Agbor

BaretaNews Political Correspondent