Government Atrocities in Anglophone Cameroon on the Rise
By Andre Momo
A damning new report by the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA) has revealed a disturbing escalation in state-sponsored violence in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon. Covering the first quarter of 2023, the report details a wave of atrocities committed by government forces—including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, and the deliberate burning of entire villages.
These findings paint a grim picture of daily life in Southern Cameroons, where civilians continue to pay the heaviest price for a conflict they did not start. The documented abuses are not isolated incidents but part of what CHRDA describes as a “pattern of systemic brutality” executed with impunity under the guise of national security.
Crimes Without Accountability
Among the most chilling accounts are incidents in which entire communities were torched during so-called military raids on separatist strongholds—often with no distinction between fighters and civilians. In some cases, survivors reported that family members were executed on the spot or taken without explanation, only to vanish without a trace.
The report also notes that arbitrary arrests have surged, with detainees often held incommunicado, tortured, or subjected to military tribunals without due process. These actions violate not only Cameroonian law but also international human rights conventions to which the country is a signatory.
Despite the mounting body of evidence—including photos, eyewitness testimony, and satellite imagery—the Biya regime continues to deny any wrongdoing. Government spokespeople routinely dismiss reports as “fake news” or “separatist propaganda,” even as international observers and local NGOs sound the alarm.
International Silence and Complicity
What is perhaps most alarming is the international community’s continued inaction. While the United Nations and some Western governments have issued periodic statements of concern, no meaningful steps have been taken to halt the violence or hold perpetrators accountable.
CHRDA’s latest report renews calls for an independent international inquiry into human rights abuses in Cameroon. The organization joins a growing chorus demanding targeted sanctions against military officials and political elites implicated in war crimes.
BaretaNews: Time to Break the Silence
At BaretaNews, we stand with CHRDA in condemning these atrocities and in demanding justice for the victims. The time has come for the international community to move beyond diplomatic niceties and take concrete action.
We call for:
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An immediate and impartial international investigation into human rights abuses in the Anglophone regions.
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Targeted sanctions against senior military and government officials involved in planning or covering up these crimes.
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International pressure on Yaoundé to allow access to humanitarian and human rights monitors.
This conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced over a million people. The longer the world looks away, the more lives will be lost, and the harder reconciliation will become.
Let it be clear: silence is complicity. And history will not forget those who had the power to act—but chose not to.
