Army blamed for death of dozens in Cameroon's NW region

The Cameroonian military has been blamed for the death of dozens of civilians in the country's North West region.

Cameroon has been marred by protests since 2016, with residents in English-speaking regions saying they have been marginalized for decades by the central government and the French-speaking majority, Anadolu Agency - AA reported.

According to AA, several sources have pointed accusing fingers at the army, calling for an open investigation into alleged killings.

Felix Agbor Balla, director of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, said in a tweet on Monday that:

"The death toll from the massacre in Ngarbuh-Ntubaw in Cameroon has risen to 32 with some children and pregnant women still missing.

"Those responsible for these heinous crimes must be brought to justice. These culture of impunity must stop. #No to Impunity and Yes to Accountability#.''

He added that the incident occurred last Friday in Ngarbuh village in the Donga Mantung department.

Unverified reports claim that thousands have been killed and displaced since clashes erupted over three years ago.

“Ngar village, Donga Mantung - Suffering, death and killing are now the new normal. How did we get here where human life no longer has any value? We must all, now, genuinely seek for #peace before this country loses its soul.

''I pray for all those innocent victims. #Cameroon," Akere Muna, chairman of the International Anti-Corruption Conference Council tweeted on Sunday.

Cameroonian authorities have yet to respond to the accusations.

Protesters in the Central African nation are calling for a return to federalism or independence of English-speaking Cameroon.

As of December 2019, there were 679,000 displaced persons in Cameroon and 52,000 refugees in Nigeria who fled from the Anglophone regions, according to humanitarian organizations.

However, Cameroon's Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji denied the existence of a crisis and said in December 2019 that only 152,000 persons were displaced from the Anglophone regions, Amnesty International said in a report.

A national dialogue took place last year that focused on the grievances of the English-speaking population of the North West and South-West regions of the Central African country.

Anadolu Agency