CPJ calls Cameroon government to investigate, prosecute killers of Journalist Anye Nde Nsoh, and not use death for propaganda

By David Atangana

The Committee To Protect Journalists (CPJ), has called on the government of Cameroon to investigate and hold those responsible for the death of Journalist Anye Nde Nsoh to account.

He was shot and killed by armed separatists in Bamenda, the headquarters of the North West region of Cameroon.

In a statement released Tuesday, April 9, 2023, the New York-based organization tasked the government to ensure the safety of Journalists in the crisis-hit North West region warning against using the death of Anye for any Propaganda purposes.

“Cameroonian authorities must ensure that the killing of journalist Anye Nde Nsoh is thoroughly investigated, those responsible are brought to justice, and that his death is not used for propaganda purposes,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator.

“Journalists in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions find themselves under attack by both the government and separatist fighters. Both sides must respect the rights of journalists to report freely and ensure their safety,” she added.

According to the CPJ statement, Capo Daniel, a separatist leader admitted his group’s responsibility for the killing but said it was a mistaken identity.

“…………the journalist was mistaken for a military commander who frequented that bar,” CPJ quotes Capo Daniel as saying.

CPJ recalled that “Cameroonian journalist Martinez Zogo was tortured and murdered in January, and Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe was shot dead in February,” bringing the recent killing to three journalists within this year alone.

Nsoh, 26, covered sports, culture, and local news as the Northwest bureau chief for the privately owned newspaper, The Advocate, and as a correspondent for media outlets including City FM, Dream FM, and kick442.com.

He is the latest victim of targeted attacks against the press in Cameroon and of the more than five years of armed conflict in Anglophone Northwest and South West regions.

Since 2017, the conflict between Cameroonian government forces and separatists from the English-speaking minority has killed over 6,000 people and displaced 765,000, according to the independent International Crisis Group.