Cameroonian authorities must act to end the violence against the population and conduct thorough investigations into the killings, acts of torture, rapes, burning of houses and other atrocities committed in the Anglophone regions, said Amnesty International today in a damning new report that details rampant human rights violations and other crimes under domestic law committed by multiple actors in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.

We call on Cameroonian authorities to investigate allegations of human rights violations and other crimes under domestic law committed in the context of the armed violence in the Anglophone regions

Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central

The report, With or against us: the population caught between the army, armed separatists and militias in north-west Cameroon, exposes crimes committed by armed separatists, militias and members of the defence and security forces in the North-West region, mainly since 2020. It also highlights the urgent need for protection for those denouncing the atrocities inflicted upon the population.

“We call on Cameroonian authorities to investigate allegations of human rights violations and other crimes under domestic law committed in the context of the armed violence in the Anglophone regions, and to prosecute and punish those responsible for such violations in fair trials and before independent, impartial, and competent tribunals. Victims of these crimes and violations have a right to justice and reparation,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

The Anglophone crisis resulted from the repressive response to largely peaceful protests in 2016-2017, which demanded an end to the marginalization of the Anglophone minority. It has since escalated into a situation of armed violence in the North-West and South-West regions, leaving the population caught up in the fighting of various actors. There is now extreme suffering and loss of life.

Amnesty International conducted two visits to Cameroon between November 2022 and March 2023. The organization met with more than 100 victims, representatives of NGOs, journalists, and commissioners of the Cameroon Human Rights Commission (CHRC). Requests for meetings with government ministers were met with silence.

“They shot my wife and burned her along with my two children”

Amnesty International’sreport meticulously documents the serious crimes committed by armed separatists against the population, with a particular focus on those committed against the Mbororo Fulani community in the North-West.

In one instance, on the night of 28 March 2022, armed separatists attacked a Mbororo Fulani compound in the village of Mbokop-Tanyi. Amnesty International met with the husband and father of the three victims. He said: “The Amba Boys [the collective term for the armed separatists] burned down my house, with two of my children and my wife inside. They shot my wife and when she was down, they burned her along with my two children, aged seven years and six months, who were sleeping in the house.”

Discriminatory and inflammatory rhetoric targeting the Mbororo Fulani has appeared on social media. In an interview shared by a separatist media network on Facebook, a separatist leader said: “What is wrong with an Ambazonian killing a Mbororo who is an aggressor? He moved into Ambazonia from another country, into our territory. And you [they] attack our people and you [they] kill them, burn their homes, and destroy their farmlands. If we are able to kill them all, we will kill them all, and there will be no regret.”

Mbororo Fulani militias have also been involved in killings and the destruction of homes in the North-West region, in some instances at least with the help or the complacency of Cameroonian troops. A group of approximately 45 armed people described as Fulani, Haoussa and Aku, accompanied by Cameroonian soldiers, killed at least five villagers and destroyed at least 13 homes in the village of Gheidze on 18 October 2021, according to four people interviewed by Amnesty International. The militias were armed with cutlasses, sticks, spears, and knives, while the soldiers had guns. They burned down the houses while soldiers were shooting in their air and guarding the area.

Amnesty International’s report also highlights grave human rights violations perpetrated by the defence and security forces in the North-West division of Bui. According to testimonies of displaced victims in Bafoussam and Douala, crimes included extrajudicial killings, rapes, and other sexual violence against women.

One victim said: “On 3 September 2021, they came to the village and started committing atrocities. When I saw them, I quickly grabbed my daughter, and we went into the house. We closed the door, but they broke it down. They started to search the house and asked my husband to lie down… A military man raped me there.”

Then they took me and my daughter. They put us in a vehicle and set fire to the house. Every day they [military men] raped us, one after the other

Survivor

“Then they took me and my daughter. They put us in a vehicle and set fire to the house. They took us to their base. There were six other women…The youngest was 12. We were there for two months and two weeks. Every day they [military men] raped us, one after the other,”she added.

Suspicions surrounding the use of foreign weapons by separatists

Amnesty International report also examines military cooperation between Cameroon and its international partners, focusing on the origins and diversion of weapons. The organization identified several weapon types in propaganda videos posted on social media by armed separatist groups, which suggests that some weapons used in the commission of crimes against the population were stolen from the Cameroonian army that obtained them through foreign assistance.  

“We urge Cameroon’s international partners, including the governments of France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Croatia, Israel, Russia, Serbia, and the USA to carry out rigorous human rights risk assessments before sending further arms and to conduct end-use monitoring to ensure that military assistance does not contribute to further human rights abuses,” said Samira Daoud.

“Where there is credible evidence that arms are being diverted to armed groups accused of committing serious crimes, the provision of such military assistance must be suspended until measures are put in place to ensure all transfers are secure and arms are being used responsibly by authorized end-users.”

The authorities’ arbitrary judicial response

The response to the crisis from political and judicial authorities has, so far, involved further human rights violations. Instead of genuinely investigating crimes by armed separatists, authorities have accused certain individuals denouncing atrocities of being armed separatists or supporters and have arbitrarily arrested and detained them. Meanwhile, the lack of transparency in investigations into crimes committed by armed forces raises concerns about impunity.

The authorities’ attempts to curb freedom of expression and the right to seek information have also exacerbated matters. The human rights defenders, activists, lawyers, and media organizations courageously denouncing atrocities committed by the defence, and security forces have faced judicial proceedings, arbitrary detentions, and threats. Some were also tried before military courts, although under international law these courts should never have jurisdiction over civilians.

Cameroon’s international partners must carry out rigorous human rights risk assessments before sending further arms and to conduct end-use monitoring to ensure that military assistance does not contribute to further human rights abuses

Samira Daoud

Amnesty International’s report also raises deep concerns over the Cameroonian authorities’ failure to cooperate effectively with international and regional human rights institutions. Repeated requests for fact-finding missions have gone unanswered, hindering efforts to assess the situation and advocate for justice.

“The authorities must guarantee that arrests and detentions are carried out in line with international human rights law and standards, and must provide protection to journalists, human rights defenders, and activists who face threats,” Samira Daoud said.

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We are deeply disappointed that the authorities have failed to recognize the arbitrary nature of the ongoing detention of these protestors. Arresting and imprisoning people solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly is an arbitrary act and fails to meet Cameroon’s obligations under international human rights law. 

Samira Daoud, Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Amnesty International

“These 23 protestors have not committed a single crime and should be immediately and unconditionally released. All others detained in the country for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly must also be freed.” 

Background 

In September 2020, over 500 people were arrested for participating in protests organized by the opposition party ‘Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon’ (MRC). 

Dorgelesse Nguessan, a 37-year-old single mother and hairdresser, was among those arrested. She had never been politically active yet joined the MRC-organized protest in Douala having grown concerned about Cameroon’s economy and other issues. After spending a week in detention in an overcrowded cell in a police station, she was transferred to the central prison in Douala. She was charged with “insurrection” and “public demonstrations”, among other charges, before being sentenced to five years in prison by a military court on 7 December 2021. 

As Dorgelesse was convicted simply for exercising her right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, Amnesty International has denounced the arbitrary nature of her detention, and also called for her immediate and unconditional release in a campaign in January 2022. Her situation also featured among 10 cases profiled in this year’s Write For Rights campaign. 

On 4 November 2022, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention published an opinion, which found that the detention of 15 MRC activists who had participated in demonstrations in either January 2019 or September 2020 was completely arbitrary.  

Lawyers representing the 23 people sentenced for their participation in the September 2020 protests in Douala used the Working Group’s opinion as a basis for submitting ‘habeas corpus’ requests for their immediate release on 8 December 2022. On 25 January, the judge rejected the request for immediate release of the 23 people. However, an appeal hearing will take place on 16 March 2023 to rule on Dorgelesse Nguessan’s lawyer’s request challenging the first instance verdict convicting their client, a different process from this habeas corpus application.

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“Martinez Zogo, a respected journalist in the country and former managing director of the private radio station, Amplitude FM, regularly denounced alleged embezzlement by well-known personalities, particularly from the business world. His likely murder has to be added to the already too long list of people killed, raped, convicted or intimidated in Cameroon for speaking out about human rights violations, and this with total impunity.

In a press release, the Cameroonian authorities have promised to do everything in their power to identify the perpetrators of this crime and bring them to justice. Amnesty International calls on the authorities to initiate and implement a prompt, effective, thorough and impartial investigation in order to shed light on this horrific event.

Samira Daoud, Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Amnesty International

“They should also publicly recall the importance of freedom of information and expression as guaranteed by national and international laws and commit to protecting human rights defenders, including those who expose alleged corruption.

“Along with 10 other human rights organizations, Amnesty International had already called, on 10 June 2020, for an investigation into the forced disappearance and murder in detention of journalist Samuel Ajiekah Abuwe, known as “Wazizi”, arrested by the security and defence forces in August 2019 in Buea, in the South-West region. The Cameroonian authorities delayed ten months before admitting he had died in detention. The results of the investigation that was apparently conducted by the military police and sent to the Head of State have thus far not been made public.”

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“In the absence of information from the justice system what we know is that Abdul Karim Ali was arrested after he denounced torture committed and broadcast online by the leader of a pro-government militia in the south-west region of the country. If this is the only reason for his arrest he should be released immediately and unconditionally since his detention would stem solely from the exercise of his right to freedom of expression,” said Fabien Offner, a researcher at Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Regional Office.

His arrest stems solely from the exercise of his right to freedom of expression

Fabien Offner, Researcher, West and Central Africa Regional Office

According to Abdul Karim Ali’s lawyers, he was arrested on 11 August 2022 in Bamenda in the north-west without a warrant by gendarmes and was taken to the regional légion de gendarmerie where he was detained for 84 days, including being held incommunicado for several days, in violation of international and regional human rights norms. Being held incommunicado meant he was deprived of any contact with the outside world and denied the possibility of receiving visits from family and lawyers. He was detained in a cell with no window, deprived of food and water for several days, and had to use a single bucket both as a toilet and for bathing.

Abdul Karim Ali, 41 years old, was then transferred to Service Central des Recherches Judiciaires (SCRJ) of the SED (Secrétariat d’Etat à la Défense) in the capital city Yaoundé, where he is currently detained.

Two others are currently detained at the SED with Abdul Karim Ali on allegations that they work as his drivers. Rabio Enuah is a cousin who was reportedly arrested in Bamenda on 23 August 2022 and detained in a cell at the légion de gendarmerie for 72 days before being transferred to the SED in Yaoundé. An acquaintance of Abdul Karim Ali, Sulemanu Yenkong, was reportedly arrested on 19 November 2022 in Nkwen, near Bamenda. He was detained in several locations, and held incommunicado, before being transferred to the SED on 28 November 2022. In both cases, their lawyers have reported that the gendarmes who detained them asked for ransoms in exchange for their freedom.

In the absence of information from the justice system, both of them should also be released immediately and unconditionally.

Since Adul Karim Ali, Rabio Enuah and Sulemanu Yenkong were transfered  to SED, they have been produced to the Military Tribunal in Yaoundé twice but have never been presented before the Commissaire du government (State Prosecutor). Rather, they were kept in a mosquitoes’ infested cell for several hours before being returned to SED late in the night.

Amnesty International has learned that Abdul Karim Ali’s wife has received threats through anonymous calls, which have led her to flee their home. The calls warned her not to alert people outside Cameroon about his situation and asked her to bring her husband and family’s passports to the military who were detaining Abdul Karim Ali.

“The detention of Abdul Karim Ali is taking place in a period where the Cameroonian authorities continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain those who criticise the government or denounce human rights violations in the context of armed violence in Anglophone regions of the country. The authorities must immediately present a legally recognizable charge against Abdul Karim Ali or release him.”

“His detention is taking place in a period where the Cameroonian authorities continue to arbitrarily arrest and detain those who criticise the government or denounce human rights violations in the context of armed violence in Anglophone regions of the country. 

Fabien Offner

Abdul Karim Ali was previously arrested on 25 September 2019 and taken to the SED. He was held, initially without access to a lawyer for five days, before finally being released weeks later, on 1 November 2019, without charge.

The post Cameroon: Amnesty International urges release of Abdul Karim Ali, a peace activist detained without charge for more than four months appeared first on Amnesty International.

The individuals targeted include seven human rights defenders and a cyber-activist, all of whom had been documenting human rights violations and abuses in the English-speaking regions of North-West and South-West Cameroon, which are facing clashes between army forces and armed separatist groups.

Amnesty International is calling on Cameroonian authorities to guarantee the safety of these human rights defenders and ensure they can continue carrying out their work in a safe and enabling environment.” 

Samira Daoud, Regional Director for West and Central Africa

“The authorities must urgently launch a thorough, independent and effective investigation into these threats and other abuses committed against human rights defenders”.

Unrelenting death threats

Akem Kelvin Nkwain, a human rights officer at the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa (CHRDA), an organization that has documented human rights violations and abuses by all parties to the conflict, told Amnesty International he received several death threats from alleged armed separatists.

The first threat came on 24 May 2022, shortly after Nkwain wrote on Twitter about a child killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly planted by separatist fighters in Kumbo in North-West Cameroon.

On 16 June 2022, he received calls and messages featuring photos of a captured policeman, dead civilians, bullets, guns, armed group members, and an image of himself being marked for killing.

One of the messages said: “We declare you and your whole entire family as traitors and enemies to the Ambazonian fighters. Until we reach your house, let that money bring you back to life when you get shot and kill.”

Felix Agbor Nkongho, a human rights lawyer and founder of the CHRDA, also received multiple death threats from alleged armed separatists by phone and on social media in reaction to his participation in a conference in Toronto organized by the Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations, a US-based NGO focusing on the conflict in Cameroon, between 29 October and 1 November 2021.

Abductions

On 22 April 2022, four UN Special Rapporteurs focusing on human rights defenders, extrajudicial executions, the right to freedom of expression and the right to association, wrote to President Paul Biya raising concern over repeated death threats sent since 2015 to the president and the lawyer of the Organic Farming for Gorillas (OFFGO). OFFGO has exposed abuses by businesses in the North-West regions of Cameroon.

In May 2021, the lawyer received death threats by phone, and on 6 November 2021, he escaped an abduction attempt at his home in Bamenda. He was also reportedly abducted from his home and released two hours later on 19 February 2019. In a report released in January 2021, Final warning: death threats and killings of human rights defenders,the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders detailed the threats against him.

In addition, his brother was also abducted and tortured on 16 May 2019 and on 27 March 2020 as a way to intimidate him. His brother-in-law was also shot twice in the leg by unknow individuals in his presence.  Several complaints have been filed in previous years by OFFGO lawyer, but according to OFFGO officials, the authorities have failed to launch an investigation.

In May 2022, N’Zui Manto,a cyber-activist working from outside Cameroon was forced to leave the African country where he was living after the Cameroonian authorities identified him following information shared by the local police that raised fears of repatriation.

N’Zui MantotoldAmnesty International he started receiving death threats on social media at the beginning of 2019 since he publishes information about the Cameroonian army’s losses in Anglophone regions. On 28 May 2022, he received a message from a fake Facebook profile saying: “One day you will come across me. I will kill you like nothing.”

Tarnteh Amadu Ngangpanweh,a human rights defender for Conscience Africaine, a Cameroon-based NGO, told Amnesty International he began receiving death threats after attending a press conference in Yaoundé on 18 May 2020. The event, which was organized by a coalition of civil society organizations, shared findings from a report on the Ngarbuh massacre, in which more than 20 civilians were killed during a military operation on 13 and 14 February 2020.

Two days later, after Tarnteh published the report on Facebook, an unknown person messaged him on Facebook saying he “better stop such activities, because this is obviously the first and last time, I am warning you on conspiring to publish false information, the next time you will be sorry for yourself.”

Tarnteh received several other threatening calls in late 2020, July 2021 and December 2021 after he documented alleged detentions for ransom by security forces in North-West region, and after he published a report on abductions allegedly committed by armed separatists.

The apparent inaction of the Cameroonian authorities amid reports of abductions, intimidations, and repeated death threats is deeply concerning. Cameroon must urgently meet its obligations under international human rights law by supporting and protecting human rights defenders and their crucial work.”

Samira Daoud

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“The Cameroonian authorities must urgently take all necessary health measures to ensure that detainees suffering from cholera and other medical conditions have prompt access to adequate medical care,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

The Cameroonian authorities must urgently take all necessary health measures to ensure that detainees suffering from cholera and other medical conditions have prompt access to adequate medical care.

Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central Africa

It has been confirmed that Rodrigue Ndagueho Koufet died of cholera on 7 April at Douala Hospital, where he was taken from the city’s central prison and chained to his hospital bed. According to the judgment, which we have seen, the Douala Military Court sentenced him to three years in prison and a 200,000 CFA franc fine on 7 December 2021 for ‘co-action of insurrection, gathering, meetings and public demonstrations’, having been arrested in September 2020 during peaceful protests of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC). Others detained for the same reasons are also likely to be in a worrying health situation.

The authorities must also release all those arbitrarily detained, including detainees from the English-speaking regions and members of the main opposition party, the MRC, who have been arrested over the past five years for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Background

At least six of the 10 regions of Cameroon are or have been affected by a cholera epidemic for several months. According to official data, 125 infections were recorded at Douala Central Prison between 21 and 31 March, where the overcrowding rate is said to be at least 300%.

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Over the past five years, the human rights situation has grown increasingly bleak as people from Anglophone regions, including journalists, human rights defenders, activists and supporters of political opposition, have been arrested and jailed for expressing their opinions or peacefully protesting

Fabien Offner, Amnesty International's Central Africa Researcher

The campaign, ‘Don’t shut them up: Free victims of arbitrary detention now’, calls on the authorities to immediately release people arrested for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

The campaign focuses on dozens of individuals from the Northwest and Southwest Anglophone regions, arrested for taking part in peaceful protests, and at least 107 supporters of opposition party Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC).

“Over the past five years, the human rights situation has grown increasingly bleak as people from Anglophone regions, including journalists, human rights defenders, activists and supporters of political opposition, have been arrested and jailed for expressing their opinions or peacefully protesting,” said Fabien Offner, Amnesty International’s Central Africa Researcher.

Most of the jailed individuals were tried before military courts — in violation of international human rights law — and sentenced under the country’s repressive 2014 anti-terror law.

“We call on the Cameroonian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those incarcerated for practicing their rights to free speech and peaceful protest. They should also rescind the overly broad anti-terror law, which has been used to criminalize protesters for years,” said Fabien Offner.

Anglophone detainees tortured

Thousands of people, including lawyers, teachers and human rights defenders, took part in largely peaceful demonstrations in late 2016 that called for greater rights in the two Anglophone regions.

More than 1,000 Anglophone people arrested between 2016 and 2021 in relation to the Anglophone crisis are behind bars in at least 10 prisons across the country, including 650 in Buea, 280 in Yaoundé, 181 in Douala and 101 in Bafoussam. Dozens have been arbitrarily detained.

We call on the Cameroonian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those incarcerated for practicing their rights to free speech and peaceful protest.

Fabien Offner

According to testimonies gathered by Amnesty International, many of them were held incommunicado and suffered torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings and lashes, deprivation of food and water for days, mock drownings and forced extraction of fingernails.  

On 25 May 2018, the Yaoundé military court sentenced eight people to lengthy prison sentences under the anti-terror law, including journalist Tsi Conrad, who was arrested in Bamenda on 8 December 2016 after attending a protest. Conrad was sentenced to 15 years in prison for terrorism-related offences. In May 2021, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said Conrad’s detention was arbitrary and called for his release.

Penn Terence Khan, the vice principal of a high school in Bamenda, was arrested on 17 January 2017 and sentenced on 10 April 2018 to 12 years in prison and fined 15 million CFA francs (23,000 euros) by the Yaoundé military court. His charges included “complicity in secession, financing of terrorism and complicity with the rebellion”, yet the only piece of evidence was a T-shirt with the words “Diaspora South Africa Standing behind West Cameroonians 4 a Federal Cameroon” and “We are Cameroonians, we are not extremists” printed on it. 

Protest leader Ngalim Felix Safeh, a member of the separatist Southern Cameroon National Council party, wasarrested on 29 November 2016 and placed in pre-trial detention on 7 February 2017. He was charged with “apology for terrorism, attempted murder, insurrection, group rebellion and degradation of public goods”. More than five years after his arrest, he remains in pre-trial detention. His case has seen nearly 90 adjournments before the Yaoundé military court.

Mancho Bibixy Tse, a protest leader and radio journalist based in Bamenda, was also tried before a military court and sentenced to 15 years in prison for terrorism-related offences.

“The Cameroonian authorities must end their relentless assault on dissenting voices in the Anglophone regions. All others who have been arbitrarily detained with their right to a fair trial violated, must also be freed”, said Fabien Offner.

Political opposition and civil society targeted

As of 15 January 2022, 107 supporters and members of the MRC remained in detention after being arrested before, during and after taking part in demonstrations held in September 2020 to denounce the way upcoming regional elections were being organized, especially in relation to the Anglophone crisis.

A group of nearly 50 people were sentenced by military courts on 27 December 2021 for “insurrection”, “rebellion” and “endangering state security”. Olivier Bibou Nissack, the spokesperson for MRC President Maurice Kamto, and Alain Fogué, the MRC’s first vice president, were sentenced to seven years in prison for “revolution and rebellion” and “revolution, rebellion and gathering” respectively.

The next day, Awasum Mispa Fri, President of the ‘Women of the MRC’, was sentenced to seven years in prison for “complicity in revolution and rebellion”. Other MRC supporters were convicted and then released, having spent over a year in detention.

Numerous detainees are currently being held in prisons in Yaoundé, Douala, Bafoussam and Mfou. On 7 December 2021, Dorgelesse Nguessan was sentenced to five years in prison for “insurrection, assembly, meetings and public demonstrations” by the Douala military tribunal. Before she was transferred to Douala central prison on December 30, she was denied the right to wash in the police station where she was held and suffered an attempted sexual assault by a police officer.

Intifalia Oben, a 29-year-old trader and MRC supporter, was sentenced to five years in prison by the Yaoundé military court on 27 December. He was found guilty of “complicity in revolution and rebellion”. He was subjected to torture, including beatings and mock drownings, while in detention at the Defence Secretary of State (Secrétariat d’Etat à la Défense, SED).

MRC detainees have reported widespread use of torture and other ill-treatment by security forces, including the SED and the police in Yaoundé. On 5 November 2021, detainees at Yaoundé prison wrote to the President of the military tribunal to request their release and list the repeated violations of their rights.

rescind the overly broad anti-terror law, which has been used to criminalize protesters for years

Fabien Offner

A member of the Stand Up for Cameroon movement, Collins Nana, was arrested and after taking part in an MRC protest on 22 September 2020. He remains in detention after being sentenced to 18 months in prison by the Douala military court on 7 December 2021 for “insurrection, meetings and public demonstrations”.

Four other men from Stand Up for Cameroon —Etienne Ntsama, Moussa Bello, Mira Angoung, and Tehle Membou — were also arrested in September 2020 after attending a meeting at their Douala headquarters. They were sentenced to 16 months in prison by a Douala military tribunal on 31 December 2021 for conspiring to revolt, allegedly for having ‘mobilized’ ahead of the MRC’s 22 September marches.

“These frequent attacks on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, coupled with the widespread use of torture and trials of civilians by military courts, reveal the extent to which the Cameroonian authorities are normalizing the repression of critical voices. Their relentless repression must end” said Fabien Offner.

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“The release of Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob, three young men who were absurdly punished for simply sharing a joke on their mobile phones is a great relief.

We are delighted that they have been released over the weekend and were finally able to reunite with their families after seven long years behind bars.

Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Director

“All those who have tirelessly campaigned for their release, including the more than 300 000 people across the globe who wrote in 2016 to President Paul Biya asking him to end this injustice, were also delighted that they are finally free.

“These three students who were only exercising their right to freedom of expression should never have been arrested in the first place. Cameroon’s authorities should protect human rights and ensure all people can speak freely without fear of reprisal.”
Background
Fomusoh Ivo Feh, Afuh Nivelle Nfor, and Azah Levis Gob, three students who had been handed a 10-year jail sentence on 2 November 2016 by a military court which convicted them for “non-denunciation of terrorist-related information” have left the prison over the weekend. 

This follows the 16 December 2021 supreme Court ruling to reduce their sentence from 10 to five years in jail, which they have already spent.

According to their lawyer, Victorine Chantal Edzengte, the Court upheld the charges of “non-denunciation of terrorist-related information’’ against them but quashed the 10-year sentence.

In December 2014, Fomusoh Ivo Feh received a text message from a friend, saying: “Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, including religion”.

His friend’s message was intended as a comment on the difficulty of finding a good job without being highly qualified – joking that even the armed group Boko Haram won’t recruit you without good exam results.

Ivo forwarded the message to Afuh Nivelle Nfor, who sent it to Azah Levis Gob. One of their teachers saw the text, having confiscated the phone, and showed it to the police. Ivo and his friends were all arrested. They were transferred to prison in Yaoundé on 14 January 2015.

Amnesty International campaigned for their release and over 310 000 people across the globe, including former Cameroonian football striker Patrick Mboma, wrote to President Paul Biya.

The post Cameroon: Release of students sentenced for 10 years for sharing joke on Boko Haram is a great relief appeared first on Amnesty International.

Cameroon’s authorities should ensure accountability for their security forces’ crackdown on opposition leaders, supporters and peaceful protesters in September 2020, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. 

They should immediately and unconditionally release all those held for expressing their political views or for exercising their right to peaceful assembly and end the campaign of repression against peaceful protesters and critics.

“Last September, Cameroonians courageously challenged their government over their crackdown on peaceful dissent, and they were met with violence and contempt.

llaria Allegrozzi, Senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Last September, Cameroonians courageously challenged their government over their crackdown on peaceful dissent, and they were met with violence and contempt,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“One year on, the repression continues, with more protests banned and peaceful protesters still behind bars.”

On September 22, 2020 security forces fired teargas and water cannons to disperse peaceful protests across Cameroon. They arrested over 500 people, mainly opposition party members and supporters. The authorities beat many people during those arrests and in custody.

These protests had been organized following calls by the opposition party, Cameroon Renaissance Movement (Mouvement pour la renaissance du Cameroun – MRC), other opposition parties, and civil society organizations to take to the streets over the government’s decision to organize regional elections.

Opposition parties had expressed concerns that the elections could not be conducted freely and fairly without reforming the electoral code and addressing the lack of security in the Anglophone regions.

Maurice Kamto, the MRC leader, was arrested in January 2019 after countrywide peaceful protests and released following a presidential decree in October 2019. He was rearrested on September 20, 2020  and was held under de facto house arrest until  December 8, with heavy security apparatus  outside his residence. The authorities never charged Kamto or provided an explanation for his house arrest.

According to a committee of MRC lawyers, at least 124 MRC members and supporters, including the prominent leaders Olivier Bibou Nissack and Alain Fogue Tedom remain in arbitrary detention, in Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital; Douala, in Littoral region; Bafoussam, in West region; and Mfou, in Centre region.

In all, 116 face trial before military courts, on charges stemming from their participation in protests or for their activism. Eight have been convicted before a civilian court on similar charges and are serving two-year prison sentences.

On August 3, the prosecutor of the Yaoundé military court dismissed a complaint filed by Alain Fogue Tedom’s lawyers on January 13 alleging that he was tortured in detention between September 22 and November 3, 2020 at the State Defense Secretariat (Secrétariat d’Etat à la défense, SED), a detention facility in Yaoundé. Human Rights Watch has documented routine use of torture at the SED facility.

“It has become abundantly clear that civilians cannot get a fair trial before military courts, which lack independence,” a Cameroonian human rights lawyer, Michelle Ndoki, told Human Rights Watch.

It has become abundantly clear that civilians cannot get a fair trial before military courts, which lack independence.”

Michelle Ndoki, Cameroonian human rights lawyer

“The use of military courts to try civilians violates international law, and Cameroon should once and for all reverse this troubling trend.”

In a statement on September 9, 2, the committee of MRC lawyers declared that it decided “to withdraw from the ongoing legal proceedings,” as “it cannot associate itself with arbitrariness and illegality.”

 In a separate statement, issued the same day, the 124 detainees, calling themselves “Paul Biya’s political hostages,” referring to the country’s president, said they would no longer appear before Cameroonian jurisdictions because they do not want to support “a parody of justice.”

In a separate incident, on September 18, 2020, gendarmes arrested four members of the civil society platform Stand Up for Cameroon who had attended a meeting at the headquarters of the opposition Cameroon People’s Party in Douala.

A year later they remain arbitrarily detained at Douala New Bell prison, facing trial before a military court, on charges of attempted conspiracy, revolution and insurrection. On September 15, the Douala military court adjourned the trial for the sixth time, until October 13.

The Cameroonian authorities have not opened an investigation into the violations by security forces and other government personnel during the September 2020 crackdown, and no one has been held accountable. Indeed, government repression of opposition and dissent continues. Authorities prohibited an MRC demonstration planned for July 25  in Yaoundé, citing concerns around Covid-19 and general public order. On the same day, however, a demonstration by supporters of the ruling party took place in Bertoua, Eastern region.

On  August 9,  gendarmes arbitrarily arrested the prominent  tech entrepreneur and vocal critic of President Biya, Rebecca Enonchong, in Douala. She was detained   for “contempt of a magistrate,” until August 13, then  was released  and all charges against her were dropped. She had previously supported human rights campaigns and denounced violations by government forces.

The European Union noted that “civil and political rights continue to be subject to limitations” in Cameroon, in a statement to the Human Rights Council on September14.

“One year after violently quashing peaceful demonstrations, Cameroonian authorities are still resorting to their old repressive tactics,” said Fabien Offner, Amnesty International’s Central Africa researcher.

“The African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Economic Community of Central African States, and Cameroon’s other regional and international partners should press the government to ensure accountability for security forces’ violations and demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained and the respect of free speech and peaceful assembly.”

One year after violently quashing peaceful demonstrations, Cameroonian authorities are still resorting to their old repressive tactics.”

Fabien Offner, Amnesty International’s Central Africa researcher.

The post Cameroon: Repression marks crackdown anniversary appeared first on Amnesty International.

Fighting between various armed groups and the Cameroonian armed forces has continued unabated for the past three years, with civilians bearing the brunt of unlawful killings, kidnappings, and widespread destruction of houses and villages. Government intervention has been limited, and there has been near-complete silence from the international community.

Violence between government forces and the Anglophone armed separatist groups-who are themselves divided-erupted in 2017, when protests against discrimination and marginalization were repressed by the authorities.

Based on eyewitness testimonies and analysis of satellite images, Amnesty International documented how dozens of civilians have been killed and multiple villages destroyed since 2019.

All parties to the conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have committed human rights violations and abuses, and civilians are caught in the middle. In one particularly appalling case, armed separatists shot dead two elderly women with barrage rifles; in another, Fulani vigilantes burned hundreds of houses and killed four people in a terrifying attack.

Fabien Offner, Amnesty International’s Central Africa Researcher.

“All parties to the conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions have committed human rights violations and abuses, and civilians are caught in the middle. In one particularly appalling case, armed separatists shot dead two elderly women with barrage rifles; in another, Fulani vigilantes burned hundreds of houses and killed four people in a terrifying attack,” said Fabien Offner, Amnesty International’s Central Africa Researcher.

“It is difficult to obtain accurate information about the human rights crisis unfolding in these regions, which are hard to reach by road and have poor telecommunications networks. But this is no excuse to look away – without strong action by the authorities and the international community, civilians will continue to bear the brunt of the crisis.” 

The Anglophone regions of Cameroon – the South-West and North-West – make up approximately 20% of the country’s population. Violence has recently intensified in parts of the North-West.

According to the UN, at least 22 civilians were killed in Ngarbuh in the night of 13 to 14 February 2020, including 15 children and two pregnant women, following a military operation. A government inquiry found that during the same incident, “the detachment commander decided to enlist 17 members of a local vigilante committee”. Several sources also reported that members of that “local vigilante committee” were Fulani armed groups.

The situation has heightened tensions with armed separatists who have long accused the Fulanis of cooperating with the authorities. 

Between June and July 2021, at least four policemen were killed in an ambush near the town of Bali Nyonga in the North-West region. Two gendarmes were beheaded in the town of Babadjou in the West region, bordering the North-West in an attack attributed to armed separatists by officials. Other examples include the killing by the army in Bamenda 3 subdivision of civilian man driving a car, and the kidnapping of six local officials in the town of Ekondo Titi in the South-West region.

Nwa subdivision particularly hard hit by violence

Nwa subdivision, located along Cameroon’s border with Nigeria, has been particularly hard hit by the recent violence. Between 22 and 26 February 2021, at least 4,200 people were displaced from seven villages in Nwa, following attacks by Fulani vigilante groups in which at least eight people were killed.   According to the Centre for human rights and democracy in Africa (CHRDA), the Fulani herders “have carried out over a dozen raids against the natives in the villages of Nwa in less than a month”.

Satellite images analysed by Amnesty International show some villages that have been destroyed or burned down in Nwa in February 2021. It is unclear whether Fulani vigilante groups attacked the villages or whether the destruction took place during clashes with armed separatist groups, but the images suggest that the destruction was fairly recent.

For example, imagery taken from the village of Sih on 5 March 2021 shows large areas of blackened vegetation, indicating it was recently burned.  

Like many areas in the North-West region, villages in Nwa subdivision are poorly mapped, meaning not all locations could be verified. 

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The village of Ntong was also heavily impacted as shown by imagery from 11 February and 5 March 2021.

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High resolution satellite imagery from Ntong shows in detail part of the village that was heavily impacted. Three metre resolution imagery from 11 February and 5 March 2021, shows an overview of the area using the near infrared band which highlights healthy vegetation in red tones and recently burned areas in brown, black tones. Small areas within the village appear darker coloured on 5 March 2021, indicating it was recently burned. A 1.5 metre imagery from 3 April 2021, shows many damaged or missing structures. The changes in structures in Ntong appear more isolated, suggesting they were specifically targeted. @2021Planet Lab Inc

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Imagery from 3 April 2021 shows multiple areas where structures in the village of Ntim appear damaged or no longer existing. 

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Mbororo communities paying a heavy price

Attacks by armed separatist groups have particularly targeted Mbororo communities-a subgroup of the Fulanis- 

According to unofficial figures Amnesty International received from Mbororo groups, in the absence of official data from the authorities, since 2017, in the seven divisions of the North-West region:

• 162 Mbororo have been killed
• Approximately 300 homes have been burned
• 2,500 cattle have been killed or seized
• 102 people have been kidnapped, resulting in the payment of almost 270,000 euros in ransom.

One Mbororo traditional leader in Nwa subdivision told Amnesty International:

“Armed separatists came to attack me six times. They destroyed my compound, burned down my brother’s houses. Seven people were killed in my compound. They gathered them in a house, locked the house and burned it. “

Testimonies, documents and satellite imagery reviewed by Amnesty International showed that armed separatists attacked a Mbororo community in the town of Mbem on 16 February 2020. Four members of one family, aged between 15 and 80, were killed, and three others were injured, including two elderly women who were shot in the forehead, legs and thighs with barrage rifles. The attackers also set fire to 30 homes, the mosque, and looted property, including motorcycles.

A victim and eyewitness whose identity has been verified by Amnesty International said:

“We were coming out of the mosque after prayer, when armed separatists came on three motorcycles and attacked us. They burned all our houses. Two hundred people could not sleep because their homes were razed.”

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During the night of 30 to 31 May 2019, around a hundred armed separatist groups carrying guns and knives attacked Upkwa resettlement camp near Lake Nyos, burning down dozens of Mbororos’ homes and killing cattle.

In October 2019, Amnesty International researchers met two people, one of them who used to work as a motorbike taxi driver, said:

“The armed groups were looking for me because I was a motorcycle driver, and they think the motorcycle drivers are informants for the military. They told us to go back to where we came from.”

Leaders of separatist groups, and participants of the media networks they manage, have also targeted Mbororo communities in aggressive speeches broadcast online.

Some of these speeches could constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence, according to Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Advocacy of hatred escalated after the Ngarbuh massacre in February 2020. On 19 February 2020, an online TV channel belonging to an Anglophone separatist group broadcast a call from a speaker who said:

“These people [Mbororos] are immigrants and it seems their time is over (…) The earlier they will leave, the better…or they will pay the price like any other ‘La République’ citizen that is in the Southern Cameroon (…) All of them if they don’t want to leave, they will die.”“Hundreds of houses were burnt”

Fulani armed groups have also committed multiple serious human rights abuses.

Between 30 January and 7 July 2020, five people were killed, 600 houses were burned down, and at least 4,500 people were displaced from Koshin, Fangs and Bu-u villages (North-West). These violations took place during attacks perpetrated by about 200 members of Fulani vigilante groups, according to reports by OCHA.

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A resident of Koshin who is now displaced told Amnesty International that the village was attacked on three occasions in February 2019, February 2020 and June 2020.

“The Fulanis came twice. In February 2019 they killed four people and in February 2020 they killed two people and burnt many houses.  Then in June 2020, the state security forces also came in search of non-state armed groups and destroyed the village. They killed one civilian. Hundreds of houses were burnt. There are about 3,000 people [displaced] in the bushes now. They need food, shelter, health services, education, water,” he said.

“Bodies spreading all over… “

According to a report by OCHA, an estimated 350 people fled the village of Kimbi (Boyo Division), following clashes between armed separatist groups and Fulani vigilante groups on 25 and 28 January 2020.

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Kimbi was also attacked on 12 December 2019 by Fulani vigilante groups, some of whom were wearing army uniforms and armed with guns, who burned houses and killed people, according to eyewitnesses.

One witness told Amnesty International:

“They went ahead burning palm plantations all over Kimbi, harassing the population, looting people’s clothes, collecting money from people…On 16 December some armed separatists came, and clashes started with Fulanis. There were bodies spreading all over here in Kimbi.”

“The Cameroonian authorities must deliver on their responsibility to protect the entire population indiscriminately, and they should accept the fact-finding mission the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has been calling since almost three years, “said Fabien Offner. 

The international community must ensure that the humanitarian response aimed at addressing the needs of those affected by the violence, including refugees and internally displaced, is adequately funded.

Fabien Offner

“The international community must publicly call on the Cameroonian authorities to urgently initiate thorough, independent, impartial investigations into allegations of human rights violations and, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, prosecute those suspected of criminal responsibility in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts without recourse to the death penalty. In addition, the international community must ensure that the humanitarian response aimed at addressing the needs of those affected by the violence, including refugees and internally displaced, is adequately funded.”

The post Cameroon: Witness testimony and satellite images reveal the scale of devastation in Anglophone regions appeared first on Amnesty International.

This announcement is made public as the organization remembers him with great fondness on the anniversary of his passing on 25 May 2018. Following a call for applications issued two months ago, the selection committee received a total of 274 applications. Four candidates – two women and two men – were chosen as the recipients of the first edition of Gaëtan Mootoo Human Rights Defender Fellowship.

Gaetan’s unrelenting pursuit of justice saw him achieve human rights victories where others might have given up. His deep compassion for the individuals whose freedom he sought to secure, and his unwavering dedication and humility, distinguish him as a human rights champion we can all aspire to become.

Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“Gaetan’s unrelenting pursuit of justice saw him achieve human rights victories where others might have given up. His deep compassion for the individuals whose freedom he sought to secure, and his unwavering dedication and humility, distinguish him as a human rights champion we can all aspire to become. Through his work as a dogged human rights investigator, he changed the lives of untold numbers of people around the world,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

“His loss both in the human rights world and as a dear friend is so keenly felt, and together with his family, we honour his memory and his enormous legacy by giving the opportunity to others to follow in his footsteps in demanding a fairer world. I’m delighted to congratulate the successful applicants.”

Through the Gaetan Mootoo Fellowship, Tathi Yende Viviane (Cameroon), Charlin Ulderel Kinouanii Ntnondele (Republic of Congo), Alphonsine Demba (Sénégal), and Faithe Kouassi Sylvain (Côte d’Ivoire) will be sponsored to attend the online René Cassin Foundation International Institute for Human Rights Summer School which will take place from 5-24 July 2021. The online course will focus on international human rights law and international criminal and humanitarian law.

The four awardees, aged between 29 and 31 years, have already embarked on their human rights paths in their respective countries. They have been inspired to follow in Gaëtan’s footsteps and are working to bring justice to their respective communities.  

“The fellowship is an opportunity for me to set up a strong network of human rights defenders. It will also allow me to learn to better practice my passion, which is the defence of human rights in my community,” said Tathi Yende Viviane from Cameroon.

Republic of Congo’s civil society activist Charlin Ulderel Kinouanii Ntnondele’s said his commitment is motivated by the deprivation of his right to education during a five year armed conflict in his country.

“That is why it is necessary for me to attend such a course, which will help me better stand up for human rights and the consolidation of democracy in my country,” he said.Senegalese citizen Alphonsine Demba whose work focuses on women’s and children’s rights found the opportunity of the fellowship helped deepen her knowledge of human rights.

“In the future, I plan to use the knowledge gained during the course to join a large human rights organization and work to better stand up for human rights and campaign for the effective implementation of conventions signed and ratified by our countries,’’ she said.

For his part, young Ivorian human rights defender Sylvain Kouassi Faithe said he will use the training to better defend the rights of minority groups and prevent human rights violations in the central region of the country where he lives.

Gaëtan’s human rights research covered many parts of West and Central Africa – Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. His meticulous findings and careful analysis led to the release of many prisoners of conscience, helped secure justice and reparations for many victims, and assisted many affected communities in their processes of recovery after human rights abuses.

“Standing up against human rights violations is more and more challenging as the world around us rapidly transforms and sources of repression mutate. We must keep up with the pace of change, address the issues of today but be astute, adaptive and engaging too so that we also defend human rights for the future,” said Agnes Callamard.

“We must foster and equip young activists and young leaders now. We must share knowledge, exchange and collaborate with them to help empower their action in their human rights realities. And we must remove old barriers and open new doors so that their strength, innovation and vision drive the global human rights movement today and tomorrow. This bursary is an important step towards that human rights reality.”

The post Amnesty International announces awardees of human rights bursary in honour of late Gaëtan Mootoo appeared first on Amnesty International.

At least 500 people were arrested on 22 September, the majority of them members of the opposition Movement for the Renaissance of Cameroon (MRC). Of those, 160 remain in detention, 13 have been sentenced to prison by civilian courts, and 14 appeared before a military court.

The harsh repression of opposition and dissenting voices shows no sign of relenting in recent months. People simply exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and demonstration have paid a high price with prison terms based on trumped-up charges.

Fabien Offner, Amnesty International West and Central Africa researcher

“The harsh repression of opposition and dissenting voices shows no sign of relenting in recent months. People simply exercising their right to freedom of peaceful assembly and demonstration have paid a high price with prison terms based on trumped-up charges,” said Fabien Offner, Amnesty International West and Central Africa researcher.  
“The authorities must immediately put an end to the mass arbitrary arrests and detentions and immediately release prisoners of conscience.”
 
Protests were scheduled on 22 September by the MRC in several towns, but they were banned by the authorities which waged a campaign of arrests and arbitrary detentions of MRC supporters.

According to the lawyers, at least 160 arrested people remain in detention as of 25 November, in the towns of Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam and Nkongsamba. The lawyers have filed applications for their release 45 times but were rejected each time.

Eight people have been sentenced to two years in prison on 17 November by the court of first instance of the town of Mfou (Center) which found them guilty for « gathering, assembly and public demonstrations, and rebellion in group”. 

Five other people have been sentenced on 6 November to four months in prison in the town of Nkongsamba (West) for attempt of public demonstration.  

Use of military courts

Fourteen people arrested on 22 September were prosecuted by the military court in Bafoussam (West) between 24 and 25 November, for “attempted insurgency and unauthorized public demonstration and gathering “.

One of the defendants was also prosecuted for “contempt to the President of the Republic” and for holding “two signs calling for the departure of President Biya’’. 

At least 45 other MRC members also arrested on 22 September were convicted of “attempted revolt”, “rebellion”, “aggravated assembly” and “lack of national identity card’’ by the Yaoundé military court, which placed them in pre-trial detention. Those imprisoned include Olivier Bibou Nissack, Maurice Kamto’s spokesman, and Alain Fogue Tedom, national treasurer of the MRC.

In Yaoundé, Awasum Mispa Fri, president of MRC women’s group was arrested on 21 November and charged by a military court with “complicity in revolution and rebellion” after demanding the end of Maurice Kamto’s house arrest along with dozens of other women. She was put in pre-trial detention. Kamto’s house arrest took effect on 22 September and was lifted on 8 December. 

In a separate incident, four members of the movement, Stand Up for Cameroon, very active in the anglophone regions, were arrested on 18 September by the gendarmerie in Douala after attending a meeting at the headquarters of the opposition Cameroon People’s Party. They are still in pre-trial detention after being brought before the Douala Bonanjo military court, which charged them with “attempted conspiracy, revolution and insurrection”.

“Military courts should in no way be competent to try civilians as reminded in the guidelines and principles on the right to a fair trial of the African Commission on Human and People’s’ rights,” said Fabien Offner. 

Later policemen handcuffed my hands behind my back. I got into the back of a pickup, and was taken to another area, still handcuffed like a bandit. I was searched, they took down all my identification documents, and put me in a windowless room, with mosquitoes, and no drinkable water. This is where I spent over two months….

MRC member arrested in September in Douala

Amnesty International spoke to a MRC member arrested in September in Douala, who said he was subjected to torture or other ill-treatment  during his interrogation, which took place without the presence of a lawyer at the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST) located at the port of the town. He was then detained incommunicado for two months and five days in another site, without being brought before a judge. 
Released earlier this month, he told the organisation he had gone to the DST after receiving a police summons. After he refused their demand to unlock his phone, a police officer handcuffed him and tied his arms to his feet:

“He asked me if I am a MRC member (… ) if I voted in the last election… if I took part to the protests… Then told me I was stirring up rebellion. Again, he told me to unlock my phone, I refused, and he slapped and punched me at the face….,” he said.

“Later policemen handcuffed my hands behind my back. I got into the back of a pickup, and was taken to another area, still handcuffed like a bandit. I was searched, they took down all my identification documents, and put me in a windowless room, with mosquitoes, and no drinkable water. This is where I spent over two months…. “

“Acts of torture or other suffering inflicted by DST agents on those arrested should be impartially and independently investigated and those responsible prosecuted and punished,” said Fabien Offner.

The post Cameroon: Arbitrary detentions and military courts highlight the latest crackdown on opposition members appeared first on Amnesty International.