At Least One Dead as Gunshots Rock Bamenda

An unidentified body with gunshot wounds was found at Hospital Roundabout in Bamenda this Saturday morning after gunshots rocked the North West regional capital.

Early this morning, locally made explosives quaked the city followed by thunderous gunshots.

These left denizens scrambling for safety, with some returning home and businesses shutting down.

MMI gathered that the first explosive detonated at City Chemist Roundabout, followed by another at Hospital Roundabout.

Those who made it to Nkwen Market early this morning said armed separatists stormed the market shooting in the air, scaring away traders.

“The boys came right to Yaounde Park in Nkwen market,” a market woman told MMI after running into safety early this morning.

A city dweller also shared his experience: “It was bombs and gunshots that woke us up this morning. This town is becoming unbearable.”

Reports also suggest that there was heavy military presence in some major joints around the city.

Gunshots were first reported around Bandja Street late Friday, December 6.

A viral video circulating on social media shows separatists brandishing arms reportedly seized from security forces in Bamenda in an attack on that Friday.

Meanwhile, MMI cannot confirm if the shootings caused any other casualties.

Local administrative authorities have not reacted to the happenings, which add to a long list of incidents that have normalized violence in Bamenda.

Killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest and detention are some of the abuses residents continue to endure, seven years into the Anglophone armed conflict.

At the time of this report, the town was still tense.