Four Civilians Killed, 1 Raped Over 2 Months in Cameroon’s Protracted Civil War, Watchdog Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The ongoing conflict between Cameroonian security forces and separatist fighters killed 4 people, with one woman raped, many houses and shops looted and people kidnapped over the last 2 months only, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

"New abuses in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions by both government security forces and armed separatists highlight the urgent need to protect communities at risk and to hold those responsible for abuses to account," the human rights watchdog stated.

Two civilians were killed, a 53-year-old woman was raped, and over 33 shops and houses were looted on 8-9 June by national security forces, which are obligated to counter attacks by secessionist militants. The other side in the conflict, separatist fighters, were reported to have killed a 12-year-old boy and a 51-year-old teacher while kidnapping 4 humanitarian workers since 25 June.

Cameroon is experiencing a spike in violence, with security forces involved in over 30 heavy gun battles with separatists in June. The country has been torn by political turmoil since the Anglophone crisis and the civil war began in the country in late 2016. The Anglophones in southwest and northwest Cameroon, a former UK colony that was united with French Cameroon in 1961, make up 20% of the population and are marginalised. The Anglophones leaders voiced federalism and secession demands and then unilaterally proclaimed independence in 2017, a move condemned by the Cameroonian government.