Twenty-two people have been killed in clashes with the army
in Cameroon, an opposition MP said Saturday, in the latest violence to hit the
restive northwest, where separatists from the English-speaking minority are
fighting for greater autonomy.
The identity of those killed was not immediately clear, with
the army describing them as "terrorists" and villagers saying they
were criminals.
The clashes come after the US ambassador to Cameroon accused
government forces earlier this month of carrying out targeted killings and
other abuses in the fight against the independence-seeking militants.
"Twenty-two people were killed Friday in Menka during a
confrontation... (between the army and) a group of people that were presented
as criminals," said Nji Tumasang, a member of the English-speaking
opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) in Santa, the area in which the town
of Menka is located.
Violence between insurgents and government forces has
occurred almost daily in the region since a political crisis escalated in late
2016.
An army official confirmed the incident, speaking of
"several neutralised terrorists".
"A group of terrorists was reported in Menka" and
the military intervened to surround the hotel where they were, army spokesman
Colonel Didier Badjeck said on Facebook.
He added that a "watchman alerted (the occupants of the
hotel) which gave rise to long exchanges of fire lasting several minutes".
Several weapons and ammunition had been seized, he added.
An SDF delegation led by leader John Fru Ndi visited Menka
on Saturday, Tumasang said.
"The people in the village confirmed that there was an
exchange of fire, and some bodies were found in the motel rooms," Tumasang
said.
"In the village, people do not think they were
separatists, but rather criminals", he said.
He added that families in Menka had told him that 18 people
were also killed on Thursday.
The bodies of eight young men had been found, according to
witnesses.
ANGLOPHONES
The presence of a large English-speaking minority — about a
fifth of Cameroon's population of 22 million — dates back to the colonial
period.
It was once a German colony and was divided between Britain
and France after World War I.
In 1960, the French part gained independence, becoming
Cameroon, and the following year, the British-ruled Southern Cameroons was
amalgamated into it, becoming the Northwest and Southwest Regions.
For years, resentment built among Anglophones, fostered by
perceived marginalisation in education, the judiciary and the economy at the
hands of the French-speaking majority.
Demands for greater autonomy were rejected by 85-year-old
President Paul Biya, in power for more than 35 years, leading to an escalation
that saw the declaration of the self-described "Republic of
Ambazonia" in October last year.
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