Cameroon’s Prime Minister Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute’s address to the people in Matazem, Santa, gateway into the North West region of the country this Tuesday afternoon was greeted by gunshots allegedly fired by separatist fighters from a distance. He is in the restive Anglophone region on a four-day working visit to evaluate the level of implementation of resolutions of the two-year-old Major National Dialogue convened to seek solutions to the Anglophone crisis.
After the South West region where he was given a hero’s welcome, the Prime Minister Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute is in Bamenda, Chief town of the North West region of Cameroon on a four-day working visit.
During his stay in the region, the Head of Government is expected to hold a series of meetings and consultations with the population and different groups in the region to seek ways for a return to normalcy, as well as evaluate the level of implementation of the Major National Dialogue two years after.
Before he got to Bamenda, PM Dion Ngute made a stopover at Matazem in Santa, gateway into the North West region where hundreds had converged to welcome him, including administrative authorities and students.
Known for his down to earth nature, the Head of Government went to the people and thanked them for the warm welcome. Before he could end up his speech, it was saluted by gunshots fired from a distance by suspected separatist fighters.
PM Dion Ngute was hurriedly led back into his car and the convoy drove out of Santa, en route to Bamenda where the situation was much different. When he got to Up station, Bamenda, the Head of Government was greeted by hundreds singing messages of peace.
This visit is expected to culminate in a recommitment of all to the restoration of peace in the region that has suffered so much losses in the course of the five-year-old Anglophone crisis.
Ariane Foguem
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
