Government in its usual manner of self defense has dismissed claims that soldiers killed over ten people in Small Babanki, Tubah Subdivision, Mezam Division, in the North-West Region.
“The instigators of the acts of horror and abomination perpetrated by secessionist armed bands in the North-West and South-West Regions have, as usual, been spreading false propaganda through online media” says Minister Emmanuel Sadi, Minister of Communication said Monday evening.
MMI however independently verified and documented photos, videos and testimonies from persons on the ground, confirming that of the over ten killed by government soldiers, only one was a separatist fighter.
In the press release, Communication Minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi said reports of soldiers killing fifteen persons including five women and four kids are “totally ungrounded allegations that are far from the factual truth.”
Friday 25th February saw Ambazonian fighters attack a military construction site, killing two, leaving casualties and taking civilians hostage with them, the communication minister said.
In a retaliatory move on the night of February 28 to 29, soldiers carried out an operation, discovering a camp run by Ambazonian fighters.
At the end of this crossfire, 10 secessionist terrorists, including 3 women were neutralized” minister Sadi’s press release notes, adding that “The leader of the separatist gang, Richard Nformumbang Ndango, alias ” General Fire Man”, was among the terrorists neutralized during this operation.”
In the operation, the communication minister explains that warfare weapons were reclaimed, and one hostage was freed. “The Government of Cameroon unreservedly condemns these acts of terror … reaffirms to the National Defence and Security Forces, the renewed support of the Cameroonian people as well as the very high confidence of the Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces” he states
Contrary to what the Minister states regarding the victims of the attack however, locals testified that in the raid on Small Babanki, over ten were killed with General Fire being the only non civilian involved. Kids and women were also murdered in broad daylight by the soldiers, wrecking havoc on the village they add.
The minister’s declaration comes at a time when the dust is yet to settle over the Ngarbuh killings which government in a similar move had claimed it wasn’t involved, providing contradictory reports before ordering an investigation.
The raid on Small Babanki by government soldiers is not the first of its kind in the over three year old conflict, as hundreds of villages have been burnt down and over three thousand killed.
Despite outstanding evidence of rights violations and extra judicial killings in most cases, government maintains that its soldiers are professional in their dealings, encouraging them to keep up with their activities in the North West and South West regions.
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