Man killed, Private Car Set Ablaze as Lockdown Continues in Bamenda

By Zera Nambu

A man has been killed and a car set on fire at Mile 4 Nkwen, near Futru Junction in Bamenda this morning as residents begin the second week of a separatist-imposed lockdown.

The violence, suspected to be linked to separatist fighters enforcing the ongoing lockdown, has deepened the climate of fear already gripping the North West Region.

A local source told MMI several rounds of gunfire were heard before plumes of smoke alerted them that something was burning.

A yet-to-be-identified man is reported to have died and the car was set ablaze.

The act has intensified the anxieties of residents who are fighting with the impact of the ongoing separatist conflict and the frequent lockdowns that paralyze daily life.

This is the ninth year since Crisis broke out in the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon following a 2016 lawyers and teachers strike against marginalisation.

An armed conflict that ensued in 2017 has brought wanton destruction to human life and property in the Anglophone regions, as separatists battle against the Cameroonian military.

Over 6,000 civilians have died, according to a UN report in 2019, but local estimates suggest the toll might have doubled.

Last week, separatist called for lockdowns with the aim of targeting school resumption on September 8, the official date the government had set for schools to resume nationwide.

The lockdown, in its second week now, has caused the closure of most schools, as well as the shut down of transport and business activities.