Separatist fighters burn down GTHS Esu, abduct 12 students, teachers

Separatist fighters on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, attacked Government Technical High School (GTHS) Esu in the North West Region of Cameroon, burning the school and abducting about eleven students and two teachers.

Sepratists reportedly stormed the school premises at 9 a.m. while classes were in session, leaving chaos and destruction in their wake.

An informant in Esu told MMI that 11 students and two teachers were abducted during the attack, while some were undressed and molested.

“Those guys left Wum before entering Esu. When they took the captive, they took Zhoa in that direction,” an Esu native said.

Images that have surfaced online corroborated the narrative, showing a section of the school building that hosted the principal’s office burned down. In the same video, a separatist group called ‘lions gate of Wum‘ under the command of ‘general lion‘, claimed responsibility for the attack. Students could also be seen wailing and calling for help.

In another video shared on Esu Voice, an online news blog, captured the aftermath of the assault, revealing a school building engulfed in flames.

A chilling voice-over accompanied the footage, stating, “Esu on fire… Classrooms at GTHS Esu and students’ books burned down.”

The voice further detailed the horrifying events, describing teachers and students being stripped naked, kidnapped, and some driven away from the school with their mobile phones seized.

Reports indicate that several students sustained injuries during the attack, and they are currently receiving treatment in a nearby medical facility.

The extent of the injuries and the condition of the abducted individuals remain a cause for concern. “For security reasons, I cannot mention where they are receiving treatment. But they are now in the hospital,” said Fabrice (not his real name), our source in Esu.

Menchum administration vows hard times for pepertrators

As of the time of this report, the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Mechum Division issued an official statement condemning what he called the “continuous barbaric act perpetrated by armed terrorists on innocent unarmed citizens in response to the tragic incident.” As the community grapples with the aftermath of the assault, Abdoullahi Alion assured “the population that investigations and operations are ongoing to track these criminals for punishment in accordance with the regulations in force.”

According to the SDO, the attack led to “the undressing of students, torture, burning of a block of two (2) classrooms and the Principal’s Office, kidnapping of the Vice-Principal Mr. Achuo Oscar Buh, and the discipline master, Mr. Kum Julius Meh, and eight (8) male students.”

“The Senior Divisional Officer for Menchum calls on the law-abiding and peace-loving population of ESU in particular and Menchum Division in general to remain calm, to continue to collaborate with the Administration, Defence and Security Forces in order to enhance the peace which they were already enjoying,” Alion concluded.

Amid uncertainty

Esu has been one of the hardest-hit areas in the ongoing bloody quest for independence by separatists. The conflict started as a protest by lawyers and teachers who had corporate demands and later morphed into an armed conflict in late 2017. When the conflict escalated in 2018 amid intensified calls for a school boycott, students and children in Esu halted classes for several months.

“Classes are partially going on now, so they were in school,” Fabrice told us today. Some government and private-owned academic institutions went operational after security was reinforced in the area. But that was short-lived.

“There are three military bases in the area: one in Gayama, another in Donghoboh, and the third at the ranch where Dampolo is engaged in conflict with them. When the conflict began, Ambazonian fighters from Zhoa, Weh, Wum, Kumfutu, Bafmen, and some Bafut fighters established a robust camp there. However, when the military arrived and established the aforementioned bases, many of them were killed; some resigned and turned to farming, while others relocated to Gayama, a village in Esu that shares boundaries with Nigeria. They only visit Esu town on special missions, as they often mention. The situation in Esu remained relatively calm for about a year until the assassination of the Fon of Esu and his wife,” Fabrice added.

Peace is still far-fetch in the area, said another source.

No end in sight

This harrowing incident adds to a series of similar attacks targeting education in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon since 2016.

The ongoing crisis has not only resulted in the devastation of education infrastructure but has also disrupted the education of over 700,000 children, according to NGO reports.

This year alone, the conflict has claimed the lives of at least five teachers who were killed by suspected separatists, according to a report released by the Center for Human Rights and Democracy for Africa (CHRDA).

Amina Hilda contributed to this article.

Edited by Mimi Mefo Takambou

Mimi Mefo Info