Separatist Fighters Kill Businessman and Teacher in Bambili

Yufemo Anselm, a well-known businessman and teacher from Bui Division, reportedly died at the hands of Ambazonian separatist fighters. He was gunned down in Bambili, Tubah Subdivision, around 7 p.m. on April 27, 2025.

Popularly known as “Wo Jum,” Anselm owned a bar at Three Corners Bambili and taught at a school in nearby Sabga. Eyewitnesses recount that three armed men on a motorbike stormed his shop, forcibly pulled him out, and shot him at close range in the chest before speeding away into the night. Locals rushed him to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

“We are in shock; the pain is too much,” a grieving family member told MMI.

Before relocating to Bambili, Anselm was formerly a geography teacher in Nkambe.

Rising Pattern of Targeted Civilian Attacks

Although the motive for the killing remains unclear, the method used is reminiscent of separatist operations that have plagued the region for years. In some recent cases, they have become guns for hire.

Since 2017, government forces and separatist groups have engaged in a bloody conflict in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon, as the latter seeks to establish an independent state called “Ambazonia.” As the conflict has deepened, civilians have increasingly borne the brunt of the violence, often caught between targeted attacks, extortion, and reprisals.

Civilians Caught in the Crossfire

Ambazonia fighters have repeatedly targeted teachers, businessmen, traditional rulers, and other civilians deemed to be collaborating with the government or simply refusing to comply with separatist-imposed “ghost town” orders.

In March 2025, Ambazonia’s self-styled “General the Only Bro” killed five civilians, including a nursing mother whom he pulled out of a church.

Similarly, in 2020, tragedy struck Kumba, where separatist fighters stormed Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy and massacred seven schoolchildren. In 2022, a popular Bamenda businessman, Derick Baya, faced abduction and murder after he allegedly refused to pay a separatist “tax.”

The killing of Anselm fits into a disturbing pattern of intimidation and brutality used by separatist groups to maintain control in restive areas.

Conflict Deepens as Hopes for Peace Fade

The original cause of the Anglophone crisis rooted in perceived marginalisation and legitimate grievances, but ongoing violence has severely tarnished the separatist cause in the eyes of many locals.

As of today, the Tubah Subdivision, long considered a strategic location between Bamenda and Sabga, in Kedjom Ketinguh, remains highly volatile, with many residents living in fear of both insurgents and security forces.

This comes less than 48 hours after Cameroon security forces in Bafut executed Suh John, known as Jean Makun, in front of his wife and children.

Anselm’s death adds to the mounting toll of a conflict that, according to the United Nations, has displaced over 700,000 people and killed thousands since it erupted.

Local authorities have yet to comment on the incident, and no group has claimed responsibility. However, many in Bambili fear further attacks as insecurity deepens.

Mimi Mefo Info