March 8, 2021, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out a brutal attack on innocent and unarmed civilians. According to eyewitnesses, civilians were forcibly abducted, subjected to inhumane torture, and ultimately killed by the occupying forces.

The violence did not stop with human lives; the forces also set fire to homes and properties essential for the civilians’ livelihoods, deliberately destroying their means of survival. The burning of homes, farms, and businesses not only left survivors grieving the loss of their loved ones but also forced them into extreme poverty and displacement.

These acts of destruction reflect a systematic campaign of terror and oppression, aimed at breaking the spirit of the Ambazonian people and making survival impossible without submission to the occupation forces. The targeting of civilians and their properties demonstrates a clear violation of international laws that protect non-combatants during armed conflicts.

The actions of the Cameroon Occupation Forces in Mezam State constitute serious War Crimes under international law. The Geneva Conventions of 1949, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, strictly prohibit violence against civilians, including murder, torture, and the destruction of civilian property. Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions explicitly forbids violence to life and person, including cruel treatment and torture, all of which were committed during this attack. Additionally, the deliberate destruction of civilian homes and essential properties violates Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which criminalizes the extensive destruction of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully.

Furthermore, the burning of civilian infrastructure is a violation of Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which guarantees the right to an adequate standard of living, including access to food, shelter, and security. These systematic and widespread attacks against civilians also amount to crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, as they involve murder, forced displacement, and other inhumane acts deliberately committed against a civilian population.

The international community must urgently investigate these crimes, hold the perpetrators accountable, and provide justice and reparations to the victims. Continued silence and inaction will only allow such grave human rights violations to persist, further endangering the lives of civilians in Ambazonia. It is imperative that global human rights organizations, legal bodies, and international courts intervene to ensure that the Cameroon Occupation Forces face justice for their atrocities and that steps are taken to prevent future crimes against innocent civilians.

GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA