In November 2016, the University of Buea students, driven by a desire for justice and change, organized a series of peaceful protests on November 28, 2016, aiming to voice their grievances and demand reforms from the authorities. These demonstrations, characterized by their non-violent nature and dedication to the cause, resonated with the hopes and aspirations of the student body, as they sought to uphold the principles of democracy and accountability in their community. However, their hopes for a peaceful protest, which soon shattered as the Cameroon occupation forces, emboldened by a sense of authority and power, descended upon the streets of Buea with a sinister agenda.

In a chilling display of aggression of a peaceful protest

In a chilling display of aggression and disregard for human rights, the occupation forces brazenly broke into the students’ hostels, where they unleashed a wave of terror upon the unsuspecting residents. Shockingly, they targeted female students with acts of unspeakable violence, subjecting them to the horrors of rape and exploitation, shattering the sanctity of their safe spaces and leaving behind scars that would haunt them for a lifetime. The brutality did not end there, as the forces turned their aggression towards the male students, brutalizing a minimum of 50 individuals and inflicting wounds upon several others, casting a shadow of fear and despair over the entire community.

With callous indifference to the suffering they inflicted, the occupation forces rounded up the traumatized students, herding them like cattle into truckloads bound for a military camp located in SONARA, Victoria, nestled within Fako state in Ambazonia. In this remote outpost, far removed from the watchful eyes of accountability, the students found themselves at the mercy of their captors, trapped in a nightmarish landscape where the rule of law held no sway and the principles of humanity were abandoned.

Within the confines of the military camp, the peaceful protest students were subjected to a relentless barrage of torture and abuse, their cries for mercy falling on deaf ears as they endured unspeakable horrors at the hands of their tormentors. Stripped of their dignity and denied even the most basic rights, they languished in solitary confinement, isolated from the world outside, their spirits battered but not broken, as they clung to the flickering hope of eventual liberation.

For several agonizing days, the peaceful protested students, bore the weight of their suffering in silence, their bodies bruised and battered, their minds consumed by fear and uncertainty. Yet, amidst the darkness that threatened to engulf them, a glimmer of resilience flickered within their hearts, a defiant spark of defiance that refused to be extinguished. Despite the odds stacked against them, they remained united in their resolve, determined to stand tall against the forces of oppression and tyranny that sought to crush their spirits.

The peaceful protest of the University of Buea emerged as symbols of courage and resilience

As the echoes of their ordeal reverberated throughout the corridors of history, the peaceful protest of the University of Buea emerged as symbols of courage and resilience, their struggle serving as a stark reminder of the enduring power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. And though the scars of their suffering may never fully heal, they stand as a testament to the indomitable strength of the human will, a beacon of hope for all those who dare to dream of a better tomorrow.