HRW continues to raise awareness on the political situation in Cameroon. Last year Cameroon’s armed forces attacked a village in the English-speaking South West region. It was yet another punitive expedition against the Anglophones who have been protesting since 2017 against a 5-decade long injustice – the denial of their right to self-determination by the Yaoundé regime. The soldiers raped 21 women, killed a man and torched a house. Here is an excerpt:
An attack by Cameroonian soldiers on March 1, 2020 has come to light in which soldiers raped at least 20 women, including four with disabilities, arrested 35 men, and killed one man, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack on the village of Ebam in the South-West region was one of the worst by Cameroon’s army in recent years.
The soldiers also burned one home, looted scores of properties, and severely beat the men they took to a military base. Based on information obtained by Human Rights Watch, there has been no effective investigation, and no one has been held accountable for the crimes.
“Sexual violence and torture are heinous crimes that governments have an obligation to immediately, effectively, and independently investigate, and to bring those responsible to justice,” said Ida Sawyer, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “One year on, survivors of the Ebam attack are desperate for justice and reparations, and they live with the disturbing knowledge that those who abused them are walking free and have faced no consequences.”
Read the full article here.
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