NW/SW : Minister of Communication Refutes allegations against military

Government’s spokes person, describe allegations against Cameroon’s National Defence and Security Forces as fake. He said the troops have once again been subjected to second-guessing
and false allegations in their struggle for a return to normalcy in the North-West and South-West
Regions of our country.

Origin of the allegations

Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi told press men and women that images of unbearable cruelty circulated on social media on Saturday, February 15, 2020, showing charred bodies, while indicating that this was only a reflection “of the massacre of the people, perpetrated the day before, in Ngarbuh village”, Ndu Subdivision, in the Donga-Mantung
Division of the North West Region.

He regrets the fact that several political
activists, die-hard detractors, presenting
themselves as “human rights specialists”
“leaders or spokespersons of political parties” without any prior investigation or any cross-checking, stormed national and international media to attribute responsibility for the incident to the National Defence and Security Forces.

He referred them to a press release issued by the Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in charge of Defence, on 17 February 2020, that formally denied the “outrageous and misleading allegations and established the truth that emerge from a cross-check undertaken with promptness and diligence by the specialized
services.

The Minister affirmed that the alleged killing of twenty-two villagers including fourteen children, by Cameroonian Defence and Security Forces in Ngarbuh is fake. “The Government, through my voice, and following this denial, intends to clarify the situation as follows:
– For several months now, the National Defence and Security Forces have succeeded in taking control of and securing the Ntumbaw road
junction, the flow pathway for all the illicit traffic that floods the Bui Division in the North-West Region, particularly the subdivisional towns of Elak, Oku, Jakiri, Kumbo, Mbiame, Nkum and Nkor.”

– Rene Sadi said armed gangs that were wreaking havoc in the area, sowing terror and despair among the population, took refuge in a peripheral hamlet called Ngarbuh, to set up their rear base there and reorganize the racketeering and abuses on the road leading to Ntumbaw.

However the population alerted the Defense and Security Forces who who deployed a reconnaissance operation to Ngarbuh Saturday, February 15, 2020.

The six elite forces were attacked by a group of heavily armed individuals not far from the are chosen by the secessionist rebels as a logistical base for the storage of illicit goods, arms and ammunition of various calibres, as well as adulterated contraband products, narcotics and amulets.

They responded vigorously and
professionally, neutralizing seven assailants and routing other individuals from the armed secessionist group.
During the battle, a fire broke out in a fortified shelter that contained explosives and flammable materials stored by the armed rebels.

A blasts followed by tongues of fire spread to nearby dwellings. The result five deaths; one woman and four children as indicated by a release from Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence.

He expressed deep regrets for the unfortunate incident, in a region where the Cameroonian army is working tirelessly and without sparing any effort, to bring peace and security.

Head of States Condolence Message

The Minister of Communication also conveyed to the people, and particularly
to the families affected, the most heartfelt condolences of the President of the Republic, Paul Biya and the comfort of the Government.

He also assured them that on the President of the Republic has given ordered an investigation to further clarifying all aspects of the incident.

He also used the occasion to underscore the virtues that characterize the Cameroon army; an elite force that is strong, credible, professional and mature, and whose daily activity builds on the sacrosanct principles of respect for republican institutions and the defense of the Nation, with honour and loyalty.

They serve with the restraint prescribed by the High Command, and in strict compliance with the fundamental principles of Humanitarian Law
focused on the protection of vulnerable people (women, children, the elderly and the disabled).

Government’s Stance

“The Government strongly denies the fanciful and ungrounded accusations levelled by political activists, by sponsors of secessionist armed bands, by some Non-Governmental Organizations and some national and international
media against the Defence and Security Forces.” Government’s spokesperson said.

He added that the Cameroon Governement, strongly condemns
machinations aimed at damaging the image of Cameroon and ruining the reputation of its institutions and army.

The allegations he added seeks to undermine holding o the February 9, 2020 twin legislative and municipal elections have been qualified as transparently and fairly carried out throughout the national territory.

Message to International Community

Rene Sadi said that the Government appeals to the responsibility and solidarity of all the friendly countries that continue to harbour all those who perpetrate such acts of violence and barbarism in the North-West and South-West Regions, and who keep spreading untruths about the real situation in these regions Regions, and throughout the
national territory.
The Cameroonian Government also called on the international community to be vigilant, with regard to the flow of fake news hurtfully disseminated on traditional mass media and online, in order to undermine Cameroon’s
image.

Situation in the North West and South West Regions

The situation is gradually improving, thanks to the quick implementation by
the Head of State, of the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue, especially with the fast-
tracking of the decentralization process and the granting of a special status to these two Regions.

Call for Peace

The Minister emphasized that the President of the Republic faithful to his commitment to peace, once again urged his young compatriots in the North-West and South-West, who “have allowed themselves to be lured into armed gangs and who continue to maintain a climate of insecurity in these two regions to lay down their weapons, like many who have already done so and who are living peacefully in our communities.”

He concluded that the Government, through his voice, launches a vibrant appeal to all, so that everything possible may be done, not to stir up tensions as some do, but to unfailingly support every effort that can contribute to a return to peace, to normalcy, and the consolidation of living together in the North-West and South-West Regions.

Elvis Teke