Civilians in western Cameroon are often turned into victims “atrocities”including extrajudicial killings, torture and rape, committed by both security forces and armed separatists in this predominantly English-speaking region, complains today the non-governmental organization Amnesty International.

The UN and international NGOs they often criticize the “crimes” committed for more than six years by both opposing sides in the north-west and south-east regions of Cameroon, where mainly members of Cameroon’s English-speaking minority live.

In late 2016, the regime of President Paul Biya, who has ruled the country with an iron fist for over 40 years, unleashed a violent crackdown on peaceful demonstrations by the Anglophone minority protesting their ostracism and marginalization by the central government. , dominated by the French-speaking majority.

Then, various English-speaking separatist groups took up arms and declared in 2017 the “independence” of the region they call “Ambazonia”.

Unyielding, Mr. Biya deployed a large army force in the region.

In a new report, “With us or against us: The population caught between the army, armed separatists and paramilitary groups in north-west Cameroon”, Amnesty International refers to “extrajudicial executions”, “murders” of civilians, including women and children, “torture”, “rapes and other forms of sexual violence” by both sides. These are constantly “repeated atrocities” that constitute “gross violations of human rights”.

Among the targets of the separatists, who also carry out near-daily kidnappings for ransom, are citizens they accuse of “collaborating” with Yaoundé, especially members of a community that is a subset of the Pel tribe, the Bororo.

The army and police are often accused by the UN and NGOs of attacking villages of residents suspected of sympathizing with the separatists and committing crimes and gross misconduct. Amnesty, for its part, accuses “Bororo paramilitaries” of supporting the army in these attacks.

Amnesty’s report is based on testimonies “over a hundred victims”executives of non-governmental organizations in the country, as well as journalists who gather information about the events.

Amnesty International is still talking about “human rights violations” by the “political and judicial authorities”, in particular for “arbitrary” imprisonment of citizens, journalists, civil society executives, as well as their referrals to military courts for “terrorism” cases.

The non-governmental organization is further concerned that “Cameroon’s international partners”, including “Belgium, Croatia, the US, France, Israel, the UK, Russia and Serbia” continued to “cooperate with the country at the military level, including deliveries of weapons and military equipment” that “risk” being “used by the armed forces, paramilitaries or armed separatists to commit atrocities”.

Amnesty International is asking these “international partners” to “condemn these attacks on fundamental rights” perpetrated by both camps, and for the government to guarantee that “thorough, independent and impartial investigations will be carried out as a matter of urgency”.

The organization’s requests to meet its officials “with government ministers” whose names emerged in the context of its investigation “remained unanswered”, Amnesty emphasizes. The government generally does not react immediately after NGO reports are published, it usually responds days to weeks later.

The war in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions has killed more than 6,000 people and forced more than a million people to flee their homes, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG), which has yet to update the figures. these three years.