Grief and consternation enveloped Bamali, a precinct in Ndop, North West Region as some elements of the Cameroon Military besieged the area, October 3 2020, leaving at least two deaths and many others arrested.
Sources say men dressed in Mufti gear raided the entire Bamali , two days after suspected Separatist fighters mobilised communities in the two English speaking regions to celebrate the independence of British Southern Cameroons on October 1.
“We were all in the village that fateful day when trucks of soldiers entered the village and began rampant searches and arrests. They came in retaliation for those who participated in the Amazonian independence. Those who resisted arrests, were shot while those who had the strength like us, fled from the village,” an eyewitness who pleaded for anonymity, attested.
Among the many shot, two were confirmed dead; a renowned rights activist, Mekoulou Josue and daughter. They could be seen drowning in their own pool of blood as ransacked homes gushed in flames. Another daughter, Christelle Mekoulou, is reported to have been taken away and yet to be accounted for.
Homes in Ndop reduced to ashes after raid
“Mr Mekoulou is a notable notable in Bamali. We heard the military interrogating him and insisting he was a sponsor of terrorism. Not before long, we heard loud gunshots before seeing houses in flames. We later realised him and his daughter were shot dead, while another daughter, Christelle, could not be found. We have been in search since but cannot trace her,” Another eyewitness said.
Meanwhile, many other dissidents suffered material losses as the military left the village in flames with livestock and property destroyed.
Worth noting is the fact that the incident caused the once buoyant village to be deserted with villagers fleeing for safety to neighbouring villages, while those arrested in the raid were taken to Bamenda to be judged under the military civil law.
According to reports from the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the deepening armed conflict rocking the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon have wreaked havoc on many communities with thousands killed, and others unaccounted for.
Those who have managed to flee from the conflict zones are scared for their lives as reprisal attacks continue in the wake of the crisis.
