By Tata Mbunwe
Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute has expressed outrage over the killing of at least five gendarme officers in Eyumojock, Manyu Division of the Southwest Region, on Friday.
The officers, including the Eyumojock Gendarmerie Brigade Commander, were ambushed by separatist fighters along the Mamfe—Ekok road in the deadliest separatist attack on the Cameroon military in recent months.
In a post on X on Sunday, the Prime Minister, who has usually been silent about other killings in the English-speaking Regions, described the Eyumojock incident as “a crime too many”.
“I would like to express my outrage at the unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday morning on the #Manfe-Ekok road, between the villages of Ayukaba and Eyangchang,” he wrote.
He added, “The incident occurred when the Commander of the Eyumojock Brigade and four of his men, who were out on patrol, were ambushed by about thirty armed men from the #secessionist #group.
Reports indicate that the soldiers were ambushed with little retaliation as they were deceived into their demise.
An anonymous informant had reportedly warned the Brigade Commander that morning about separatist activity along the stretch of road.
In response, the Commander mobilized elements of his brigade to accompany him on a mission to stop the separatists.
But along the way a group of armed fighters surged in and overwhelmed them. They killed the officers and set fire on their bodies and the vehicle that was carrying them.
In his tweet, the PM offered words of condolences to families of the soldiers and asked the population to support the Cameroon military to quell separatists’ resistance.
“I extend my sincere condolences to our valiant soldiers and to the families of the victims who fell in the #defense of #Fatherland,” the PM said.
“I invite the population to cooperate more with our defence and #Security #forces.”
The PM’s tweet on the Mamfe incident came as a surprise to many, who have noted his silence on the conflict in the North West and South West Regions.
This incident adds to the hundreds of Cameroonian officers, including police, gendarme, and army officers, who have met a similar fate in the course of the armed conflict in the English-speaking Regions.
The military have also killed hundreds of separatists in the last six years. However, popular opinion recommends dialogue between both sides to resolve the crisis.
