Ambazonian fighters are wreaking havoc on towns located around the Nigerian border.A number of border communities in Cross River State, Nigeria, find themselves caught in the crossfire of the protracted separatist conflict plaguing the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
These communities, which share the border with the Manyu and Ndian Divisions in Cameroon’s South West, are bearing the brunt of daily attacks from Ambazonia separatist groups, Daily Trust has reported.
Among communities that have suffered continual attacks is Belegete, a community in Obanliku Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria.
According to Daily Trust, the community has faced a dire situation since Ambazonia rebels overran the area on December 5, 2023.
The rebels, exploiting the difficult terrain, reportedly hoisted the Ambazonia flag, and committed several atrocities.
The Nigerian security forces have faced challenges accessing the region due to its difficult terrain.
Reports say at least 30 Belegete people have been abducted, their clan head Chief Francis Okweshi was killed, and women were subjected to heinous acts.
“People who were returning from their farms, markets, and other personal endeavours were attacked mercilessly and some were killed while others were maimed,” said the head of Belehete village, Chief John Abraham.
“I can tell you that the attack was unprovoked and unwarranted. The people of Belegete did not know anything about the Ambazonian separatists until the attack on their community,” he told Daily Trust.
He added that the fighters have terrorized, raped, maimed, and abducted over 120 people in the community during past month.
The inaccessible terrain poses a significant challenge for Nigerian security forces, and the Belegete community fears the fate currently suffered by Bakassi communities that were ceded to Cameroon.
Though under Cameroon’s administration, these communities are under incessant attacks from the Nigerian separatist group, IPOB.
Okwa, another border community in Obanliku LGA, has also recently experienced an escalation of the conflict, with Amba Boys attacking, raping women, destroying farmlands, and causing loss of lives.
The unwarranted attacks have left the community in perpetual fear, urging the Nigerian Government to establish communication facilities and increase joint security presence.
Insecurity has been persistent along the Cameroon-Nigeria borderline owing to Boko Haram militants in the North and separatist groups in the South.
In 2021, the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments struck a partnership to jointly fight transborder terrorism and secessionist groups operating along their southern border.
While Nigeria grapples with sporadic attacks from the IPOB group in the country’s Southeast, the Cameroon government has, since 2017, been battling against Ambazonia fighters who want a breakaway state in the country’s English-speaking Regions.
Both groups, which also announced a partnership in 2021, have kept the border communities on the edge with their recentlentless quests.
Maintaining effective control along the borders has proven difficult for the Nigerian and Cameroonian governments, with vast parts of border localities under the control of separatist groups.
While the IPOB has continued launching attacks on Cameroon’s BIR forces in the oil-rich Bakassi peninsula, Ambazonia groups have encroached into several localities in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria.
In 2022, Cameroonian authorities raised concerns about separatist groups taking control of several border villages and controlling 90% of border trade between Cameroon and Nigeria.
The border communities along the Bakassi Peninsula, for example, face daily attacks from pirates, with fishermen reporting frequent robberies of money, fish, petrol, and food items.
