The corpses of four men suspected to have died in the ongoing armed conflict in the English-speaking Regions have been abandoned at the Bamenda Regional Hospital mortuary, the hospital’s Director Dr Denis Nsame has said.
The oldest of the corpses, identified as Abia Moses, aged 45, has been at the hospital’s mortuary for 93 days, since December 26, 2023.
It was brought there by a priest from Wum, identified as Rev Father Roland.
The second body, identified as Funwie Brandon, 28, was deposited at the hospital on January 26 by the Bamenda Company Commander.
The third corpse, identified as Macnilan, 26, was brought in by the regional hospital’s emergency unit on January 28, 2024.
The fourth and most recent corpse arrived at the mortuary on February 6, brought in by the Cameroon military.
Dr. Denis Nsame announced that the bodies will be handed over to authorities for burial if no one comes forward to claim them by April 5.
This is not the first time the Bamenda Regional Hospital has faced such a situation.
Amidst the ongoing Anglophone Crisis, the hospital has often been burdened with abandoned corpses, many of whom are victims of the violence.
Individuals killed in crossfires and separatists who have fallen during military raids have frequently ended up at the Bamenda Regional Hospital.
In a notable case, the body of self-styled Ambazonia General, Effang Emmanuel, was dumped at the hospital by the Cameroon military on January 21.
Despite being whisked away from a private hospital where he was receiving treatment, his body remained abandoned at the Bamenda Regional Hospital for a month until authorities intervened.
The body was subsequently taken away by the military after no one came to claim it.
The plight of the residents of the English-speaking Regions of Cameroon continues amidst the seven-year armed conflict, with over 6,000 lives lost and countless individuals enduring the repercussions of violence and instability.
