Wailing, panic, and total agony is what characterized Kumba, Meme division of the restive South West region of Cameroon on Saturday, October 24, 2020.
Suspected Separatist fighters invaded Mother Francisca College Fiango Kumba, shooting students studying in classrooms indiscriminately.
An inhabitant of Kumba says “we saw around 15 students carried to the hospital, all with blood stains on them. I am sure about 7 have died already.”
To another inhabitant living around the scene of action “…amba boys arrived at the school at about 9:30 am and started shooting into the classes. They say the students are traitors for attending classes when they have called for an effective school boycott in the North West and South West regions of the country. When we got the gunshots, we ran into the house for safety. It was so terrifying… we only saw the blood bath later,” she narrated, while insisting to keep her identity a secret.
Read more: https://mimimefoinfos.com/ambazonia-activists-divided-over-school-resumption-in-nw-sw/
According to Chamberlain Ntou’ou Ndong, Senior Divisional Officer, SDO, of Meme Division, “Four students have been killed in the private college by separatist fighters with many others wounded and some in critical conditions… “
Ntou’ou Ndong says “…I will not only condemn the cowardly action but I want to tell the criminals that they can run as far as their legs can take them but the military will hunt and kill them all.”
A reliable source in Kumba has told Mimi Mefo Info that six students have been confirmed dead. Four seriously wounded have been evacuated by Doctors Without Borders, while those with minor injuries are receiving treatment in Kumba.
“The shortage of blood at the Kumba District Hospital partly explains why those severely injured have been evacuated,” Mimi Mefo Info was told.
“Those shot by Ambazonia boys are Form One students. They are between the ages of 10 and 15,” our source added.
The civil administrator threatens the arrest of all inhabitants around Mother Francisca College Fiango Kumba for not standing to defend the students. “How can amba boys come to a community and kill students and people there sit and watch them? These people should be arrested,” Chamberlain Ntou’ou Ndong stated.
Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong, Meme SDO
In another repressive measure stated by the SDO of Meme. “…All schools operating in Kumba and Meme division that have not notified the administration will be shut down. We want to know schools that are operating so that security forces can be deployed in these schools “.
Military men have been positioned in the school to prevent a repeat of such an incident. MMI could not verify these declarations by the SDO who was quick to blame separatists.
A whistleblower, blogger and social activist, Michel Biem Tong in August 2020 had, however, hinted that the Biya regime was planning to stage a school attack and hold Ambazonian fighters responsible.
Saturday classes have for over two years now become the new normal in the embattled North West and South West regions of Cameroon given that, it is not the first of its kind. Mondays are also established ghost town days where no one is permitted to step out of their homes.
The indiscriminate shootings and killings of students of Mother Francisca College Kumba is the first major attack on schools since the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year on the 5th of October in Cameroon.
At the time of this report, Cameroon’s ministry of secondary education had not reacted to the killings. Separatist leaders are yet to react. But Sisisku AyukTabe who is serving a life sentence alongside other leaders in the conflict condemned the attack.
“What is reported to have happened in a school in Kumba today is terrible. God help us! Anyone responsible for these atrocities must be brought to book. This inhumane genocide must be brought to an end now. Please call on the Americans, Europeans, Africans and the UN to come and stop these crimes against our innocent people. What have we done to deserve this barbarism on our people?” Sisiku wrote on tweeter.
Campaigns to #EndAnglophoneCrisis has been trending in Cameroon for days now.
By Mbatho Ntan
Mimi Mefo Info
