Ayaba Cho claims responsibility for Wednesday ‘s Ekondo-Titi attack

By Tata Mbunwe

The President of the Ambazonia Governing Council, AGovC, Lucas Ayaba Cho, has claimed responsibility for the attack in government officials in Ekondo-Titi that left seven dead, including the Divisional Officer and the Mayor.

Ayaba Cho tweeted yesterday that the explosive attack was a joint operation by his forces on the ground.

“In a joint operation, our forces eliminated the colonial Divisional Officer, the colonial Mayor and three others,” he tweeted.

Stating that he has sworn to uphold such a course of action, he added that the attack aimed at ending “colonialism” which he termed a crime against humanity.

Ayaba Cho commands the Ambazonia Defence Forces, ADF, which is one of the separatist militias fighting against government to create a new country out of the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Unlike other separatist leaders, like the incarcerated Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, Ayaba’s strategy for attaining “independence” has been that of war and, in his posts, he has often insisted on using the brute option.

This is one of the rare cases of supposed separatist attacks he is taking responsibility for. He did not admit any responsibility when gunmen, alleged to be separatist fighters, attacked GBHS Ekondo-Titi, where this recent attack happened, and killed four students and a teacher.

The recent targeting and killing of government officials in the explosive attack is being seen by some rights organisations as a war crime, given that they were civilians and, unlike soldiers, they were not actively taking part in the armed conflict.

This is the position of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy for Africa, CHRDA, which has been monitoring human rights violations in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

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