The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns of an escalation of the civil war in Cameroon, demanding more effective measures to protect the civilian population. During the last six days, at least 35 members of the civilian population got killed in attacks on villages, the human rights organization stated in Göttingen on Monday. "There must be an end to the lawlessness, arbitrariness, and violence in the Anglophone regions," emphasized Ulrich Delius, the STP's director. "All parties to the conflict must take the protection of the civilian population more seriously. To this end, it is important that those who are responsible for the violence are actually held accountable".

A total number of 3,000 civilians have already lost their lives in the conflict over the future of the Anglophone regions in the predominantly Francophone state, which has been escalating since 2017. Around 680,000 people are currently on the run, and almost 60,000 have sought refuge in neighboring Nigeria. Following the latest attacks, about 8,000 people have fled to Nigeria during the last six days. Last Friday alone, 22 members of the civilian population were killed in an attack on the village of Ntumbo. Among the dead were 14 women and children, including a family of nine.

In January 2020, the government of Cameroon had announced that it would transfer 1,000 additional security forces to the riot zones in order to violently suppress the armed uprising of the Anglophone movement. "It is not yet clear who is responsible for the recent escalation of the violence," Delius emphasized. "However, the announced deployment of more soldiers has apparently not created more security. There has to be a political solution to the conflict over the future of the minority regions."

Header image: alvise forcellini via Flickr