Residents of Ekona in Fako County, Southern Cameroons, woke up Thursday to another harsh military crackdown as soldiers of the colonial regime’s 6th Rapid Intervention Battalion, commonly known as BIR, stormed the town and forcefully shut down the local market, paralysing all economic activity in the area.
Eyewitnesses told local sources that heavily armed French Cameroun troops carried out an aggressive operation across Ekona, rounding up hundreds of civilians in what many described as collective punishment against the population. Those arrested reportedly included market women, buyers, taxi drivers, travellers, elderly persons, women, and even children.
According to witnesses, the civilians were herded like prisoners and forced to sit for hours under the blazing sun at the Presbyterian School field in Ekona, with many reportedly denied food and drinking water throughout the operation.
“They forced everybody to sit in the mud under the hot sun. Old people, women and children were all there suffering,” one witness revealed.
Residents say the latest military action is part of an ongoing terror campaign being carried out by French Cameroun occupation forces in Ekona and surrounding villages. For weeks now, BIR soldiers have reportedly been conducting unannounced raids from house to house, breaking doors, dragging residents out of their homes, and pursuing civilians who escape into nearby bushes for safety.
Locals say fear and tension have gripped the town as colonial troops intensify pressure on the population over alleged links with Ambazonia Restoration Forces operating in the area.
The latest operation reportedly followed threats issued by the military during a meeting held last Saturday, where residents were allegedly warned that severe consequences would follow if they failed to expose the hideouts of Ambazonia fighters.
“They said Ekona is hiding Amba boys. They told us either we show where the boys are or we will continue suffering whenever they come,” a resident told reporters.
Ekona, located along the Mutengene-Buea-Kumba highway, has repeatedly been targeted by French Cameroun military operations due to the presence and activities of Ambazonia fighters in the Fako and Meme axis. Civilians in the town have often found themselves trapped between military raids and the ongoing armed conflict in Ground Zero.
Human rights observers have repeatedly accused French Cameroun forces of using intimidation, arbitrary arrests, collective punishment, and excessive force against civilians in Southern Cameroons under the pretext of fighting separatist groups.
As of press time, there were no official reports on how many civilians remained in detention or whether any formal charges had been brought against those arrested during the operation.
