Tension enveloped Mamfe, a town in the South West Region of Cameroon, after a gendarme officer shot and killed a woman during a dispute with a driver at a checkpoint this afternoon.
The tragic incident happened in Okoyong, Mamfe, triggering concerns about the use of force by law enforcement officers.
The victim, identified as Tando Bernice, is the aftermath of a confrontation between the gendarme officer and a driver who had allegedly evaded control.
Video footage circulating online captured a woman lying motionless in a pool of blood. The same video indicated Bernice was pregnant.
Weary onlookers can be heard expressing grief and shock at the tragic turn of events.
The video also revealed a uniformed officer holding a gun near the lifeless body.
This unfortunate event re-echoes a similar tragedy that happened in Buea in October 2021, where a gendarme officer shot and killed a four-year-old girl, Carolaise Enondiale, while pursuing a vehicle that reportedly fled police control.
Such incidents continue to raise questions about the appropriate use of force by law enforcement officers, especially in the English-speaking regions, which are still grappling with a seven-year armed conflict.
The town of Mamfe, like other areas in the English-speaking regions, has grappled with the impact of the Anglophone Crisis, which evolved from a protest against marginalisation in 2016 into a protracted and bloody conflict.
The community is still recovering from the aftermath of a separatist attack that claimed at least 26 civilian lives in Egbekaw, Mamfe, just two months ago.
While Mamfe experienced relative calm during the holiday season, with reports of smooth Christmas and New Year celebrations, the recent tragedy adds to the struggles of a community marked by years of conflict, bloodshed, and destruction.
