By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info (Editor)
Published on 2024-02-11 21:21:23
Three people have been arrested in connection with the improvised explosion that killed two people and injured over 50 in Nkambe, North West Region of Cameroon, on Sunday, the North West Governor, Adolphe Lele L’Afrique, has said.
Without providing further details on the arrested suspects, Lele L’Afrique blamed Ambazonia separatist fighters for planting the locally made explosive that disrupted National Youth Day celebrations in Nkambe on Sunday, February 11.
“Immediately informed, the SDO (Senior Divisional Officer) mobilized his security services to run after the assailants, the terrorists that put the device, and three of them have already been caught and they are under very serious investigation,” Mr Lele L’Afrique told the state broadcaster CRTV.
“The total number of those that were victims of that incident are close to 40 among which four are seriously wounded. Apart from close to 40 wounded, there is one person dead,” he added.
A source in Nkambe who spoke to MMI a few hours after the incident said two people had been confirmed dead. Other sources say the death toll is much higher.
Our source also painted a picture of the emotional atmosphere at the Nkambe Regional Hospital annex, where most of the victims were receiving treatment.
A number of victims underwent leg amputations, while some suffered serious burns on the face and other parts of body.
No separatist group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack despite the Governor’s claims.
The incident was the first significant attack in Nkambe since 2017, when the armed conflict in the English-speaking Regions of Cameroon broke out.
The area has been a haven of peace amid the conflict that has killed more than 6,000 people and displaced over a million others.
Among many who have condemned the attack in Nkambe is the Parliamentarian for Nkambe Central Constituency, Hon Ngala Gerard Ndombang.
“The population is determined more than ever before to continue with their normal life. This has just awakened the population of Nkambe to be more vigilant as ever before. We now are more determined and Nkambe will ever succumb to threats,” he said.
The MP, who visited the hospital after the incident, has repeatedly prided himself in the peaceful nature of Nkambe, contrasting it to other areas in the North West and South Regions.
‘FRAGILE PEACE’
Nkambe and its environs has not been affected by separatist lockdowns, school boycotts and armed attacks, unlike other areas in the Anglophone Regions.
Prior to the Sunday incident, thousands of people, including school children, youth leaders, business persons, community leaders and government officials participated in the Youth Day celebrations at the Nkambe grandstand.
Pictures and videos taken before the explosion showed a lively atmosphere at the event, with children marching agilely, and engaging in singing and dancing to commemorate the Youth Day.
In most areas of the English-speaking Regions, celebrations only took place timidly, with some areas witnessing a total boycott of activities.
This was because separatists had called for a three-day lockdown in the English-speaking Regions in prelude to the event and had issued threats against people participating in the celebration.
For seven years now, the fighters have opposed Youth Day and other official events in the Anglophone Regions, where they are fighting for a breakaway nation called Ambazonia.
However, people who do not abide by the separatist ideology have been defying the calls to participate in national celebrations.
‘HISTORICAL UNDERTONE’
Youth Day celebration in Cameroon on every 11 February is historically tied to the separatist conflict in the Anglophone Regions.
It was on this day, in 1961, that the minority English-speaking British Southern Cameroons voted in a plebiscite to join the majority French-speaking La Republic du Cameroon.
Over the past 63 years, the union between both Cameroons has been marred by frequent protests against marginalization by the English-speaking minority.
One of these protests, which started as lawyers and teachers’ strike in 2016, was met with a brutal government crackdown that aggravated into an armed conflict a year later, with calls for secession.
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
