Elements of the National Gendarmerie in Muyuka, South West Region, on Thursday, May 18, 2017, arrested more than 15 suspected activists of the Southern Cameroons National Council during what security officials described as a clandestine meeting aimed at disrupting Cameroon’s National Day celebrations slated for May 20.
The arrests reportedly took place in Owe, a locality in Muyuka Subdivision, following intelligence gathered by local security authorities.
Speaking to the Post Newspaper, the Commander of the Muyuka Gendarmerie Brigade, identified as CB Ayolo Jean, said the operation was carried out after security forces received information alleging that the group was planning activities intended to boycott or destabilise the commemoration of the country’s National Unity Day.
“Our informant drew our attention to a secret meeting held by a group of activists with the sole aim of destabilising the National Day celebrations. We immediately launched an operation and arrested them during the meeting,” the brigade commander stated.
According to him, the suspects were being interrogated to establish the exact nature of their activities and determine possible legal action against them.
“We are carrying out investigations and questioning the suspects. Once the investigations are completed, they will be presented before the State Counsel for possible prosecution in accordance with the law,” he added.
However, allegations of torture and ill-treatment have emerged from relatives of some of the detainees. Family members who reportedly visited the suspects at the gendarmerie brigade alleged that several of those arrested had been subjected to severe physical abuse during interrogation.
One of the detainees identified by relatives is 32-year-old Priso Dalle Samuel. His family claims he was badly beaten while in detention.
“I could barely recognise my brother when I saw him. His face was swollen, and he appeared to have sustained serious injuries. He pleaded with us to help him because he feared for his life,” said Carine Dalle, who identified herself as the suspect’s sister.
The commander of the brigade denied allegations of torture, insisting that the detainees were being treated in accordance with legal procedures.
The Southern Cameroons National Council, commonly known as SCNC, was founded in 1995 and has long advocated for the independence of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, formerly known as Southern Cameroons. The movement describes itself as non-violent and has consistently called for self-determination for Anglophone Cameroonians.
Over the years, the Cameroonian government has repeatedly accused the organisation of promoting separatism and threatening national unity. Authorities officially banned the activities of the SCNC and the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium in January 2017, amid the escalation of the Anglophone crisis. The ban prohibited all meetings, demonstrations and activities linked to the group across the national territory
Since the outbreak of protests in Cameroon’s North West and South West regions in 2016, human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists, have documented cases of arrests, prolonged detentions and alleged abuses targeting Anglophone activists and separatist sympathisers.
Reports from rights groups and civil society organisations have frequently accused security forces of using excessive force during crackdowns on separatist-linked gatherings, allegations the government has often denied.
The situation in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions remains tense, with authorities maintaining heightened surveillance ahead of national celebrations and politically sensitive events.
On 19 May 2017 the members of the CCMN – Cameroon Community Media Network have met in Buea to officially found an association to promote the development of the community […]
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