Christopher Elejuma, a self-proclaimed ‘general’ of the Ambazonia separatist movement, has been reported to have been killed by the Cameroonian military. According to reports from The Guardian Post daily newspaper, he was killed during a military operation on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, in Akwaya, Manyu division of the South West region.
The self-proclaimed general and his fighters were unexpectedly attacked at a checkpoint located at the entrance of Bodam village. Officers from the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) carried out the attack.
According to Major Gilles Onana, the Commander of the Sixth BIR Region, the Amba fighters were utilising the checkpoint as a means to intimidate and extort money from the local population, including motorcyclists, farmers, and anyone entering or leaving the village.
“The Amba fighters were using the checkpoint to harass the local population and extorting money from motorcyclists, farmers, and anyone going in or out of the village,” he said.
Elejuma died in a shootout with the military, but the majority of his associates managed to escape despite sustaining bullet wounds.
During the operation, a substantial quantity of weapons and materials were confiscated by the BIR soldiers, MMI, learned. The confiscated items included three weapons: an AK-47, a semi-automatic rifle, and a Dane gun. Additionally, ammunition of various calibers, black uniforms, marijuana drugs, and solar devices used to illuminate the hideout of Amba fighters were also seized.
The operation’s success was a result of collaboration between the population and the armed forces, following a tipoff.
The BIR commander commended the population for their collaboration and encouraged them to maintain that spirit as they worked together to eliminate the fighters from the community.
Due to the ongoing activities of Amba fighters in and around the villages of Akwaya Subdivision, a significant portion of the population in Bodam has been forced to flee. The actions of the security and defense forces have brought a sense of relief to the people.
There is a call for additional operations to completely eliminate Ambazonia fighters from Akwaya Subdivision. According to observers, the operation demonstrates the effectiveness of civil-military cooperation in combating Ambazonia fighters in the South West region. They think that encouraging such cooperation is necessary to completely eliminate the threat that non-state armed groups pose.
