Defence ministry, other stakeholders expected at next Ngarbuh massacre court case

Three soldiers of the Cameroon military today appeared before the Yaounde Military Tribunal.

They are believed to be perpetrators of the February 14 massacre in Ngarbuh, a village in Cameroon’s restive North West region.

The case today, Barrister Tamfu Richard noted, was adjourned to the 21st of January 2021.

This, he explained, was “to enable the vicariously liable parties (like the Ministry of Defense) to be served with a court summons to appear in Court.”

Another reason, he noted, was “for the list of witnesses to be submitted to the Court and communicated to all the parties and for the appearance of all accused persons because only 3 of them were present (the soldiers).”

The court case today was the first hearing close to a year after the massacre. The government had earlier refuted the incident, before yielding to international pressure, commissioning an inquiry team.

While many have lauded the commencement of the trial, others have urged the government to ensure the victims of the massacre are fully represented and heard at the trial.

The absence of members of a vigilante group cited as accomplices in the massacre has also left more to be desired from the government’s handling of the massacre court case.