Issa Tchiroma Bakary, President of the FSNC party, has expressed condolences to the families and colleagues of three soldiers killed in an attack in Matouké, near the border between the Littoral and South West regions.
The soldiers, Sergeant Ateba Olanguena, Corporal Betkemo Banibou Maxime and Private First Class Abienza Joseph, were killed in a separatist ambush on Wednesday while during a routine patrol along the Matouké-Kotto axis.
In his condolence message, Tchiroma described the deaths as another loss for the country and extended his sympathy to the bereaved families and the soldiers’ colleagues.
Tchiromas’ statement went beyond condolences, calling for renewed efforts to find a lasting solution to the armed conflict in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions.
“The serious consequences of this conflict in terms of loss of human lives, destruction of property and infrastructure, displacement of populations and economic damage must compel us to examine, without taboo and in depth, its causes,” Tchiroma said.
He called for an inclusive national dialogue, arguing that the scale and duration of the crisis require a broader national response.
Tchiroma said he remained committed to a process that, in his words, would lead to lasting peace, a new form of state and stronger national cohesion.
He also referred to a commitment he says he made during his presidential campaign in Bamenda, saying he intended to pursue such a process.
The Matouké attack is part of a wider pattern of violence associated with Cameroon’s Anglophone conflict, which has affected the North West and South West regions and, at times, neighbouring areas.
The attackers fled after the ambush, taking away weapons and ammunition from the soldiers.