September 22, 2017, Ekona, Buea, Fako State, Southern Ambazonia, Cameroonian Occupation Forces were caught on camera abducting, torturing, and killing innocent and unarmed civilians, including women and children. This harrowing incident, documented through video evidence, highlights the sheer brutality inflicted upon defenseless members of the community.

The victims, comprising vulnerable individuals such as children and women, had no involvement in the ongoing conflict, yet they were subjected to inhumane treatment and extrajudicial killings by the occupying forces. Witness accounts and video footage depict scenes of despair, with terrified civilians forcibly removed from their homes, brutally tortured, and executed without cause or trial. The shocking violence perpetrated against these unarmed individuals further emphasizes the blatant disregard for human rights and international humanitarian law by the Cameroonian forces.

The community of Ekona was left in shock and mourning as the tragedy unfolded, with families losing loved ones and survivors bearing physical and emotional scars from the ordeal. The targeting of civilians, particularly women and children, underscores the indiscriminate and systematic nature of the violence unleashed upon Ambazonian communities.

Eyewitnesses described the atmosphere of terror created by these forces, who not only violated the sanctity of homes but also brutally assaulted and executed defenseless individuals in a show of unchecked power. The incident has been widely condemned by local and international observers, with calls for justice and accountability growing louder in the aftermath of the atrocity.

The actions of the Cameroonian forces in Ekona clearly constitute War Crimes under International Law. Specifically, they violate Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits violence to life and person, including murder, torture, and cruel treatment of non-combatants.

The deliberate targeting of civilians—especially vulnerable groups like women and children—violates the principles of distinction and proportionality that govern conduct in armed conflict. These principles require that parties to a conflict distinguish between combatants and civilians and that any harm to civilians be proportionate to the direct military advantage sought. The abductions, torture, and killings further contravene the Convention Against Torture, which categorically bans the use of torture under any circumstances. The acts in Ekona represent a severe breach of international law and underscore the urgent need for intervention to protect civilians and hold perpetrators accountable.