IED attack hits Nkambe on National Youth Day

Several individuals have sustained injuries following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack that targeted Nkambe in the restive North West Region of Cameroon. Nkambe is situated in Donga-Mantung.

The incident unfolded during the National Youth Day Parade on Saturday morning, February 11, 2024, where hundreds gathered.

According to reports from MMI, students from Government Secondary School Nyanji and Binchua were among those affected and have since been swiftly transported to the hospital.

A video shared by MMI depicted a rescue team carrying victims on stretchers and rushing them to medical facilities. As of now, it remains uncertain whether there were any fatalities resulting from the attack.

The identity of the assailants remains unknown, and our sources have not been able to ascertain their affiliation. However, Separatists, known for advocating ghost towns and school boycotts, had previously urged citizens to stay home and abstain from participating in the National Youth Day activities.

Given that both authorities and some locals had described Nkambe as being relatively calm, today’s assault surprised many people.

Since 2016, the Anglophone Crisis—a bloody armed conflict—has affected Nkambe and other areas of the Anglophone region. Separatists are advocating for an independent state called Amabzonia.

According to Human Rights Watch, the conflict in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon has resulted in the deaths of at least 6,000 civilians since late 2016, with both government forces and armed separatist fighters being implicated. The armed separatist groups are seeking independence for the country’s minority Anglophone regions.

Armed groups and government agents both committed human rights violations in 2022, including unlawful killings, in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions and the Far North region.

As the Anglophone crisis entered its sixth year, the number of internally displaced people reached 598,000 as of August, and a staggering 2 million people were in need of humanitarian aid in the North-West and South-West regions.

Throughout the conflict, separatists, who have forcefully enforced an education boycott since 2017, continued their attacks on schools, students, and education professionals. This destructive campaign included the demolition of buildings, depriving hundreds of thousands of children of their fundamental right to education.

Mimi Mefo Info