2023-05-27 18:07:17
About 30 women kidnapped a week ago by rebels in Cameroon’s North West region have been freed, a government official said on Saturday. The region is in the throes of a deadly conflict between separatists from the English-speaking minority and the police, where certain armed separatist groups frequently kidnap civilians, mainly for ransom.
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Thirty women kidnapped on May 20 by rebels in northwestern Cameroon, in the grip of a deadly conflict between separatists from the English-speaking minority and the police, have been released, announced on Saturday May 27, a government official at AFP. Certain armed separatist groups frequently carry out kidnappings of civilians, mainly for ransom, in this region.
They were released by their captors on the evening of May 23, after three days of confinement, said Denis Omgba, director of the Media Observatory of the Ministry of Communication. The latter did not wish to give additional information on the circumstances of their release or on their condition, specifying only that one of them suffered from a “fracture”.
A mayor of a locality in the region, on condition of anonymity, also confirmed to AFP the release of these hostages.
“Taxes” on the population and kidnappings
These “elderly” women had been kidnapped on May 20 “by armed terrorists” in the village of Kedjom Keku, in the North West region, after having participated the day before in a demonstration during which they protested against taxes demanded each month by separatist rebels, had then ensured the local prefecture.
On the day of the demonstration, May 19, in Kedjom Keku, about 150 women, “old” according to the prefecture, had “publicly demonstrated” against “the exploitation activities of the Amba Fighters”, and in particular the obligation imposed by the rebels to civilians to pay monthly 10,000 CFA francs (15 euros) for men and 5,000 for women (7.50 euros). “Taxes” that the rebels claim to collect to finance their “war effort for independence”.
About fifty women were first captured, “kidnapped” and “severely beaten” but released in the evening, according to Denis Omgba. It was the next morning that the rebels kidnapped “about thirty” of them.
See also: Cameroon: at least 30 women were kidnapped in the west of the country
Human rights violations
The two English-speaking regions have been the scene since the end of 2016 of a deadly conflict between the army and various groups of armed separatist rebels who are demanding the independence of the North West and South West regions, populated mainly by the English-speaking minority of this predominantly French-speaking Central African country.
These groups, who call themselves the “Amba Boys” or “Amba Fighters”, after the name of the “Ambazonia” they wish to give to a future independent state, are regularly accused by international NGOs and the UN of crimes against civilians.
Some armed rebel groups regularly perpetuate civilian kidnappings for ransom, sometimes in large groups such as the kidnapping of these women, especially in schools they accuse of teaching French. They also commit targeted assassinations against representatives of the authorities, but also against civilians whom they accuse of “collaborating with the army”.
Their abuses have been denounced by international NGOs and the UN, which just as regularly accuse the army of committing human rights violations against civilians: fatal blunders, summary executions, acts of torture and even raids and killings in villages.
The conflict erupted at the end of 2016 after the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations by members of English-speaking civil society, some of whom consider themselves ostracized by the French-speaking majority of this country ruled with an iron fist for more than 40 years by the president. Paul Biya.
The latter is intractable, even with regard to the most moderate who are demanding a federalist solution to this conflict, and his regime has been deploying massively for more than six years the elite of the army and the police to suppress the rebellion.
The conflict has claimed more than 6,000 lives and forced over a million people to move, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank.
With AFP
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