Anglophone Crisis: Soldiers Reportedly Inflict 'Deep' Wounds On Bamenda Resident

By Raymond Dingana

A man is currently undergoing treatment in a health facility in Bamenda, the headquarters of Cameroon’s conflict-hit North West region following ‘deep’ knife wounds reported inflicted on him by soldiers dispatched to the region to maintain law and order. 

The condemnable incident is said to have occurred Saturday 24 April 2021 at the Mile 90 neighborhood, a locality on the outskirts of Bamenda along the highway leading to Bali.

Mile has been a separatist hotspots since ongoing Anglophone crisis morphed into a full-fledged armed conflict.  

As indicated by a source who opted for anonymity, the gory scene unfolded when the victim was stopped on board a motorbike that was transporting him to Bamenda. He is said to have been coming in from Bali, a neighbouring village to Bamenda where separatist activities are rife. 

"They were stopped at Mile 90 and asked to present themselves. He had his identity card but for the rider. They were asked to sit on the tar and equally asked to pay some money. After a while, the rider got up and took to his heels. They followed and shot at him but he managed to escape. They came back, got the passenger well beaten before inflicting wounds on his legs and under his feet. He was then taken to the airport at Mile 8 Mankon an locked up in a room,” narrated a source.

The Victim Receiving Treatment In A Health Facility In Bamenda

Our source went further revealing it was at Mile 8 that the victim then explained himself in French to one of the soldiers on duty. “The officer later asked that, he be taken to the hospital. He was rather dumped in a farm around Mankon after his wallet had been emptied. He spent the night there and was only found the Sunday morning," he added. 

The victim will later find himself in the compound of his rescuers before he was taken to the hospital for medical attention. He would later be taken to another hospital whose location we can’t independently confirm for continuous treatment. 

The recent incident only adds to other cases of military atrocities on civilians in the restive Anglophone regions. These cases go a long way to reduce the growing military-civilian alliance to restore peace in communities.