After several weeks, many thought the Ngarbuh massacre inquiry commission was just going to be another coverup, till government said on Tuesday that it has arrested soldiers and launched a manhunt for some vigilante members who aided in the massacre.
Though some are yet to believe it, others say the mere fact that government accepted responsibility for the massacre was “too true to believe”. With most of the details known and discipline underway, calls have heightened for justice to be served in Small Babanki still in the North West region.
Government soldiers had surrounded and invaded the village at 1AM in February 29th and after killing a renowned separatist fighter, the soldiers led by Captain Bakary of the Tubah Gendarmerie station proceeded to “Kuh” a local name for a nearby forest (where vegetables are cultivated), “and they killed a mother of three.”
“Five women were shot dead in Chuku. Among them, wife of late Pa Ndobo. Two young boys aged eight and 15. Three shot at Tsih quarter,” our source said, an act government denied responsibility for.
With the turn of events over the Ngarbuh massacre, victims of the Small Babanki incident say they too deserve justice.
“What about the more than 50 killed in small Babanki? Or those ones deserved to be killed? Joel as we prefer to call him questions.
To Joel, more needs to be done than just punishing the soldiers that were part of the ground operations. “I hope the government is equally going to punish other state officials for blatantly denying allegations against the military’s actions in Ngarbuh, calling the Human Rights Watch (HRW), NGOs, and the Catholic Church terrorists wanting to destabilize Cameroon… They deserve to be punished too” he says.
Like with the Ngarbuh massacre, government denied any wrongdoing in Small Babanki. According to communication minister, Rene Emmanuel Sadi, the military operation led to the death of ten separatist fighters amongst them three women.
Will the government also ensure the brutal killing of Small Babanki residents is investigated and justice rendered? Only time will tell!
Mimi Mefo Info
