April 26, 2020, Bafut, Bamenda, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, the Cameroon Occupation Forces launched a violent and merciless attack on innocent civilians, marking yet another dark chapter in the region’s history.
Eyewitnesses recounted how heavily armed soldiers stormed the community, abducting unarmed civilians without cause or justification. Among the victims was Mr. Awah Pius, a respected community member, who suffered a particularly gruesome and inhumane fate.
Those who were abducted were taken to unknown locations, where they were subjected to brutal acts of torture and dehumanizing treatment. The soldiers used various forms of physical and psychological abuse, aiming to inflict maximum pain and suffering on their victims. According to accounts from those who later discovered the bodies, many of the victims bore visible signs of extreme torture, including broken limbs, deep wounds, and severe lacerations.
The horrific violence reached its peak when Mr. Awah Pius was beheaded in an act of sheer brutality. His execution, described as barbaric and inhumane, sent shockwaves throughout the local population.
The public display of such cruelty was intended to instill fear in the community, silencing dissent and discouraging any form of resistance. The body of Mr. Awah Pius was later discarded without dignity, leaving his loved ones to grieve in profound agony.
This massacre not only claimed the lives of innocent civilians but also left an enduring scar on the hearts of their families and the entire community. The people of Bafut now live in constant fear, knowing that their safety is under threat from the very forces that are supposed to protect them.
The Cameroon Occupation Forces have turned towns and villages into killing fields, carrying out unlawful executions and heinous acts of violence with impunity.
The abduction, torture, and execution of civilians, including the beheading of Mr. Awah Pius, constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and are classified as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions prohibits murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture of civilians and non-combatants.
Additionally, Article 8(2)(c)(i) of the Rome Statute categorically criminalizes such atrocities in non-international armed conflicts. The inhumane beheading of a civilian, in particular, amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity, demanding urgent international intervention, accountability, and justice for the victims.
GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA