Ngarbuh massacre

The Ngarbuh massacre took place in northwestern Cameroon on 14 February 2020 during the Anglophone Crisis, and resulted in the murder of at least 22 civilians by Cameroonian soldiers and Fulani extremists.

Ngarbuh massacre
Part of the Anglophone Crisis
LocationNgarbuh, Ntumbaw, Ndu, Donga-Mantung Division, Northwest Region, Cameroon
Date14 February 2020
TargetCivilians
Attack type
Shooting, mass murder
Deaths22+
PerpetratorCameroon Armed Forces, Mbororo militants
MotiveFulani extremism, anti-Ambazonian sentiment

Massacre

On 14 February 2020, six Cameroonian soldiers, accompanied by armed Mbororos and Ambazonian detractors, carried out a massacre of civilians in Ngarbuh, a neighborhood in the town of Ntumbaw, in Ndu, Donga-Mantung Division, Northwest Region, Cameroon.[1] At least 22 people were killed,[2] including 14 children, 9 of whom were younger than 5.[2] The attack was part of the Anglophone Crisis, an armed conflict between separatists of proto-state Ambazonia (comprising Northwest and Southwest Regions) and Cameroon, which it is within.[2]

Initially no one claimed responsibility for the attack, while the separatists blamed Cameroon.[2] The Cameroonian government admitted that the Cameroonian Army had been responsible for the deaths, and claimed civilians were killed by an accidental explosion that had been triggered when stray bullets had hit a fuel tank during a firefight with separatists.[3] The Cameroonian Army claimed to have killed seven separatists during the incident.[3] Opposition parties and aid agencies rejected this explanation, accusing the army of carrying out a massacre of civilians.[3] Local residents said that 35 people were killed by the Army, who broke into residents houses, where they shot civilians and burned their houses.[3] The Cameroonian government continued to insist that only five civilians had been killed,[4] although independent sources were able to verify the names of 25 dead civilians already the day after the attack.[1] Attempting to cover up the details of the incident, on 24 February, soldiers arrested a man who had given information about the Ngarbuh massacre to the media.[5] An alleged eye witness to the massacre was murdered on February 29.[6]

Human Rights Watch ran an investigation, interviewing 23 people, three of whom witnessed the attack. The investigation debunked the claims made by the government and established that Cameroonian soldiers and armed Fulani had carried out a massacre of civilians. Human Rights Watch also confirmed that there had been no separatist fighters present during the massacre.[7] The Cameroonian government responded to the report by accusing the author of conspiring with the separatists to create false stories.[8]

Reactions

The United Nations condemned the attack, and encouraged Cameroon to prosecute the perpetrators.[9] This reaction was echoed by that of the United States.[10] Cameroonian opposition politician Maurice Kamto called for a national day of mourning.[11]

In early March, it was reported that the Cameroonian Army had arrested and questioned nine soldiers about the massacre, including two colonels.[12] After running its own investigation, the government concluded that three soldiers and a local vigilante group had accidentally killed 13 civilians during a firefight with separatist fighters. After realizing their mistake, the report claimed, the soldiers and the militiamen set fire to buildings in order to erase any evidence.[13] Three soldiers were subsequently arrested.[14]

The report and the arrests were met with appreciation internationally and by human rights organizations, while the Ambazonia Governing Council accused the Cameroonian government of "presenting false justification of the systematic killing of civilians".[14]

Aftermath

In late May 2020, the military set up a base in Ngarbuh, with the stated aim of cutting off a separatist supply route from Nigeria. Within a week, more than 300 villagers had fled, fearing the presence of soldiers.[15]

Ntumbaw continued to be a battleground between separatists and armed Mbororos. On May 12, 2020, around 30 armed Mbororos killed two civilians after accusing separatists of killing seven Mbororos.[16] In October, armed Mbororos killed a separatist fighter, and were subsequently hunted down by separatists.[17]

References
  1. Exclusive: Testimonies From Ngarbuh About How Some Survivors Cheated Death By Hair’s Breadth, Plus Names of Victims, Survivors, Cameroon News Agency, Feb 19, 2020. Accessed Feb 19, 2020.
  2. Children among 22 killed in attack on Cameroon village, BBC, Feb 17, 2020. Accessed Feb 17, 2020.
  3. 'It was an accident': Cameroon army explains massacre in Anglophone region, AfricaNews, Feb 18, 2020. Accessed Feb 18, 2020.
  4. Cameroon: Gov’t maintains only five civilians died in Ngarbuh incident, Journal du Cameroun, Feb 19, 2020. Accessed Feb 19, 2020.
  5. Ngarbuh Whistleblower Arrested, Cameroon News Agency, Feb 25, 2020. Accessed Feb 26, 2020.
  6. Cameroon: Alleged eye witness of Ngarbuh killings murdered in Bui, Mar 2, 2020. Accessed Mar 8, 2020.
  7. Cameroon: Civilians Massacred in Separatist Area, Human Rights Watch, Feb 25, 2020. Accessed Feb 26, 2020.
  8. Cameroon: Gov’t accuses HRW’s Ilaria Allegrozzi of conniving with Ambazonia fighters, Journal du Cameroun, Feb 28, 2020. Accessed Feb 28, 2020.
  9. Cameroon: UN wants punishment for perpetrators of Ngarbuh killings, Journal du Cameroun, Feb 18, 2020. Accessed Feb 18, 2020.
  10. Cameroon: US Embassy condemns Ngarbuh attacks, calls for independent investigations, Journal du Cameroun, Feb 19, 2020. Accessed Feb 20, 2020.
  11. Maurice Kamto Tells Cameroonians To Mourn For Ngarbuh Victims, Feb 26, 2020. Accessed Feb 27, 2020.
  12. Cameroon: Nine soldiers arrested over Ngarbuh killings, Journal du Cameroun, Mar 2, 2020. Accessed Mar 4, 2020.
  13. Cameroon admits army role in February massacre of civilians, Al Jazeera, Apr 22, 2020. Accessed Apr 22, 2020.
  14. Cameroon government makes U-turn on Anglophone massacre in Ngarbuh, RFI, Apr 22, 2020. Accessed May 13, 2020.
  15. Cameroonian Villagers Flee Military Base at Site of Civilian Massacre, Voice of America, May 27, 2020. Accessed May 28, 2020.
  16. Two civilians killed in tribal violence in Cameroon’s Anglophone region, News Ghana, May 13, 2020. Accessed May 13, 2020.
  17. Ambazonia Separatists Clash With Mbororo Militias, Cameroon News Agency, Oct 11, 2020. Accessed Oct 11, 2020.

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