Cameroon: military operation in Babanki, NGOs speak of civilian victims

Text by: RFI Follow

More than a dozen people were killed during a military operation in the English-speaking area on Saturday February 29 in the North West region. The army speaks of an operation against English-speaking separatist fighters. NGOs speak of civilian victims.

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According to the army, the military operation targeted separatist fighters in the village of Babanki, about 40 km north of the city of Bamenda. An operation in retaliation for an attack carried out 48 hours earlier by English-speaking separatists on an army position a few kilometers away.

During this operation on Saturday, the soldiers entered the village around 2 am and targeted some homes. According to an army spokesperson, ten fighters, "Ambazonian" terrorists, have been neutralized. Among them was a separatist leader, General Fire. Weapons, AK-47s were also seized.

But according to several civil society organizations, the toll is higher. We are talking about 7 combatants and a dozen civilians killed, mainly women and children. Local authorities did not react.

" Everyone is afraid, " says a member of an NGO who wishes to remain anonymous. Since the Ngarbug massacre 15 days ago, when the army is accused of having killed 21 civilians, including many children, " no one dares to testify or condemn the acts of the army ".

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• Cameroon

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