Brutal violence has taken hold in Cameroon’s North-West and South-West regions since 2016 as armed separatist groups seek independence for the country’s minority Anglophone regions. Attacks on communities and acts of banditry have become the norm.
Government security forces were deployed to stop attacks and bring stability, but the conflict has only deepened. Security forces and separatist groups have both been responsible for serious abuses against civilians. One gruesome case, however, highlights the security forces’ role in cold-blooded attacks and the government’s attempts to delay any accountability.
On February 14, 2020, Cameroonian soldiers and armed ethnic Fulani raided Ngarbuh, in the North-West region, killing at least 21 civilians, including 13 children, and burning homes. Bodies of some victims were found charred inside their homes. The killings shattered the community and sent shockwaves throughout the country. The attack was a reprisal against residents whom government forces accused of collaborating with separatist fighters.
The government initially denied its troops were involved in the massacre and described allegations against them as fake. But following sustained national and international pressure, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya established a commission of inquiry in March 2020. The government eventually admitted the role of security forces in the attack and announced the arrest of two soldiers and a gendarme in June 2020.
A trial opened in December 2020 before a military court in the capital Yaoundé. However, the trial has faced numerous delays and has been marred by irregularities. Hearings have been postponed multiple times for various reasons, including the absence of judges and other court members. Victims’ families have had minimal participation in the proceedings and the court has refused to admit key evidence, including death certificates. Senior officers have not been arrested or charged, and 17 ethnic-Fulani vigilantes, who were also charged with murder, remain at large.
The last hearing took place on October 17, 2024, and the next is scheduled for February 20. The glacial pace of the proceedings has victims’ families wondering if justice will ever be rendered.
The Ngarbuh trial is an opportunity for the government to show its people and the world it can hold its senior officers responsible. The question is whether Cameroon’s judiciary will act.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Human Rights Watch (HRW).