Student Injured During Attack on School in Bamenda

At least one student of Government Bilingual High School Bamenda is reported to have been injured after gunmen invaded the school this Saturday afternoon.

Local sources say gun fire erupted in the Ntamulung neighbourhood, where the school is located, at about 1 pm.

Students were on campus at the time.

An amateur video obtained by MMI shows masked gunmen at the gate of the learning institution.

“We heard gunshots but don’t know what is happening given that we are used to that,” a local source told MMI.

Circumstances surrounding the attack are sketchy. While no armed group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the school’s authorities are yet to react as well.

The incident comes after the Ambazonia State Army, ASA, a Separatist militia threatened the population of Bamenda to abstain from any gathering. Their goal was to frustrate the premiere of a documentary film on President Paul Biya’s 41-year reign.

It is not known if the attack is linked to the political exercise.

However at the time of this report, the documentary was being projected unperturbed at the esplanade of the Office of the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Mezam at Upstation, Bamenda.

Separatist fighters in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon have targeted dozens of schools since 2017 when they picked up arms against the state.

This has led to the closure of thousands of schools, burning of dozens and the killing of several students, teachers and school administrators.

Attacks on schools have been repeatedly condemned by the UN, other humanitarian groups, diplomatic bodies and civil society advocates.