The military has accused separatist fighters of cooperating with violent fundamentalist groups operating outside the country in exchange for sophisticated weapons that enable them successfully carry out deadly attacks on security forces and the civilian population in the restive North West and South West regions.
Four days after an attack by separatist fighters on a convoy of the 6th Rapid Intervention Battalion in Bamessing, Ndop sub-division, Ngoketunjia Division in the North West left a dozen of soldiers dead, the army finally made a statement on the incident.
In the statement issued Monday September 20 in the evening, the army spokesperson, Navy Captain Cyrille Serge Atonfack says the soldiers were on a reconnaissance mission to the above-mentioned locality when heavily armed separatist fighters who now deal with violent fundamentalist groups operating outside the borders ambushed them.
“Using an improvised explosive device, (IED) and an anti-tank rocket launcher (ATRL), the insurgents immobilized the vehicles of the Defence Forces before opening fire on the latter, who were seriously incapacitated by the detonation of the explosive charges…” Part of the statement reads.
Cyrille Atonfack adds that a similar attack few days before on the Kumbo-Tatum axis, Kikaikom locality, Kumbo subdivision, Bui Division of the North West left some other soldiers stripped life off some other soldiers.
Condemning the attacks carried out in “contempt of the International Humanitarian Law”, the army spokesperson discloses that the quality of weapons used resulting from their collaboration with other “terrorist entities” operating outside the country clearly indicates a change of operating style.
“Intelligence services have established with certainty that the resurgence of these terrorist groups by means of the quality of fire-power they have at their disposal and are systematically using is largely the result of their joining forces with other terrorist entities operating outside the country’s borders…”
“In any event, the Cameroonian army remains determined to eradicate all forms of violence in the North West, South West and Far North regions, areas in which it is now clearly established that there exist sophisticated arm links and exchanges between secessionist terrorists from the North West and South West regions with external violent fundamentalist groups.”
It is worth mentioning that the army seized this opportunity to convey the Head of State’s sincere condolences to the families of the departed soldiers.
Ariane Foguem
