Tension in Bamenda: Checkpoint attacked, two women hit by bullets in separate attacks

By Soulemanu Buba

A road security post in Bamenda, North West Region of Cameroon – noted for what many described as gross extortion of drivers and passengers was attacked in the early hours of Thursday, January 12, 2023, witnesses told MMI.

The checkpoint mounted by gendarmes at the Mile 5 neighbourhood in Nkwen, Bamenda III subdivision, was hit by armed men believed to be separatist fighters.

It is not known whether casualties were recorded, but military vehicles were hit as bullet holes were visible on them.

We hear relative calm now reigns in the area with no one able to tell what will happen next.

In a related story, a woman is currently responding to treatment in a health facility in Bamenda after she was hit by a bullet at the Ntarikon Market in Bamenda on Wednesday. It is not clear if it was a targeted attack.

“This is how someone’s life could have ended, just like that. Thank God she is alive. Weapon holders should stop firing where there is a high concentration of the civilian population,” said Tse, a trader at the Ntarikon market in Bamenda.

Just recently, a bullet from a fired gun hit a woman in the leg at the Nkwen Market still in Bamenda. She is currently in critical condition in the hospital.

The past days in Bamenda and its environs have seen repeated heavy gunshots, with many constantly worried about their safety.

© Mimi Mefo Info