By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Kim Feh
Published on 2024-02-11 14:24:07
Several individuals were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Nkambe, a town in the troubled North West Region of Cameroon. The incident occurred during the National Youth Day Parade on Saturday morning, February 11, 2024, where hundreds of people had gathered. Students from Government Secondary School Nyanji and Binchua were among those affected and were quickly taken to the hospital.
A video shared by MMI showed a rescue team carrying victims on stretchers and rushing them to medical facilities. It is unclear whether there were any fatalities resulting from the attack. The identity of the assailants remains unknown, and it is uncertain whether they are affiliated with any particular group.
The attack came as a surprise to many, as Nkambe had been described as relatively calm, despite being affected by the Anglophone Crisis since 2016. The crisis, a violent armed conflict, has affected Nkambe and other areas of the Anglophone region, with separatists advocating for an independent state called Amabzonia.
The conflict in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon has resulted in the deaths of at least 6,000 civilians since late 2016, according to Human Rights Watch. Both government forces and armed separatist fighters have been implicated in the violence. As the crisis entered its sixth year, the number of internally displaced people reached 598,000 and 2 million people were in need of humanitarian aid in the North-West and South-West regions.
Throughout the conflict, separatists have enforced an education boycott since 2017, attacking schools, students, and education professionals. This campaign has deprived hundreds of thousands of children of their right to education.
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
