Crisis Group Warns of Escalating Violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone Regions
By Andre Momo, BaretaNews | June 25, 2024
Cameroon’s protracted Anglophone Crisis has reached another alarming phase, according to the June 2024 CrisisWatch report released by the International Crisis Group (ICG). The report paints a grim picture of intensifying violence in the North-West and South-West regions, marked by state-led raids, separatist offensives, and mass displacement.
On June 12, Cameroonian government forces launched a deadly operation in Kumbo, located in the North-West Region. Soldiers reportedly killed four civilians during the raid and set fire to a local market, destroying livelihoods and deepening mistrust between the military and local populations. The offensive was part of a wave of retaliatory military actions following separatist attacks on government checkpoints, which left several soldiers injured or dead earlier in the month.
As a result of the escalating conflict, the Crisis Group estimates that over 2,000 residents have been displaced in June alone, adding to the hundreds of thousands who have already fled their homes since the conflict began in 2016. Many of the newly displaced are without shelter, access to clean water, or medical care.
The ICG report sharply criticizes both separatist violence and state repression but reserves its most urgent warnings for the Cameroonian government’s refusal to address the conflict’s root causes — notably the political and cultural marginalization of English-speaking communities. Instead of pursuing meaningful dialogue, the government has doubled down on military tactics, contributing to a growing cycle of vengeance and instability.
“This scorched-earth approach will only harden resistance and prolong suffering,” the report warns.
In response to the report, Ambazonian leaders in the diaspora renewed their call for international mediation, emphasizing that a political solution — not further militarization — is the only viable path to peace. Many have appealed to regional and global actors, including the African Union, United Nations, and European Union, to step in where Cameroon’s government has failed.
Despite these calls, Yaoundé continues to resist negotiations, insisting that the conflict is an internal matter. Meanwhile, human rights organizations and independent observers maintain that the government’s actions may constitute war crimes, particularly the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure.
BaretaNews condemns the ongoing military campaign and the separatist attacks that endanger civilian lives. We stand firmly with the people of Ambazonia, who remain trapped in a relentless conflict with no political horizon in sight.
It is time for global powers to break their silence and hold the Cameroonian state accountable. Pressure must be mounted on all parties to halt violence, protect civilians, and commit to dialogue with international oversight.
As the rainy season worsens access to already suffering communities, the need for humanitarian assistance grows more urgent by the day. Without immediate intervention, the crisis risks descending into an even deeper catastrophe.
