Panic in Bamenda as Colonial Youth Day Celebrations Fail Amid Violence
By Andre Momo
Bamenda remains gripped by insecurity, with colonial soldiers accused of orchestrating recent civilian killings to sway public sentiment ahead of Youth Day celebrations. Reports suggest that the regime aimed to ensure the success of the event but later resorted to diverting attention upon realizing the likelihood of a widespread boycott. Instead, efforts were made to shift blame onto freedom fighters, falsely portraying them as responsible for civilian deaths. However, emerging evidence indicates that the violence was a calculated act by colonial forces to undermine the resistance movement.
On the night of February 10, heavy gunfire echoed across Bamenda, and by the morning of February 11—Youth Day—three civilian deaths had been reported. The annual event was first observed in Southern Cameroons, now Ambazonia, in 1961 as Plebiscite Day, marking the controversial referendum that led to the region’s federation with French Cameroun following the October 1, 1961 Foumban Constitutional Conference.
In the early hours of February 11, gunfire allegedly from colonial forces left residents of Che Street and Bali Byonga in distress. At least one person was killed at Che Street, while another critically injured individual is currently receiving medical treatment. In Bali, two corpses were discovered, believed to belong to high-profile members of the Presbyterian Church.
As families mourn the loss of their loved ones, the colonial administration’s attempt to carry out Youth Day activities saw little success across Ambazonia, including Bamenda. In Kumbo, Bui County, freedom fighters reportedly thwarted a planned military parade, eliminating at least four colonial soldiers and injuring several others. Despite the regime’s attempts to shift focus from the boycott by targeting civilians, many took to social media to denounce what they described as a manipulative effort by Yaoundé to distort historical narratives. The transformation of Plebiscite Day into a National Youth Day remains a contentious issue for many Ambazonians.
