May 18, 2021, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out yet another ruthless attack against innocent and unarmed civilians. Eyewitnesses recounted that these forces abducted, tortured, and brutally killed civilians, including women and children, in an act of sheer barbarity.

The attack did not stop at human lives; the forces also set fire to homes, destroying properties that were essential for the livelihoods of the affected families. Entire households were reduced to ashes, leaving survivors with no shelter and no means of sustenance.

The indiscriminate nature of these attacks highlights a disturbing pattern of state-sponsored violence designed to instill fear, destabilize communities, and enforce submission through terror. The deliberate targeting of civilians and the burning of their homes illustrate the extent of human rights violations committed under the occupation, underscoring the inhumane treatment inflicted upon the people of Ambazonia.

These actions constitute grave violations of International Humanitarian Law(IHL)and are classified as War Crimes under multiple legal frameworks. The Geneva Conventions of 1949, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, explicitly prohibit violence against civilians, including murder, torture, and the destruction of civilian property.

Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions categorically forbids violence to life and person, particularly murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture, all of which were committed against the victims in Mezam State. Additionally, Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) defines deliberate killing, forced disappearances, and the destruction of property without military necessity as War Crimes. Furthermore, the systematic targeting of civilians, particularly women and children, falls under Crimes against humanity, as outlined in Article 7 of the Rome Statute, which condemns widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian population.

The burning of homes is also a direct violation of Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which upholds every individual’s right to an adequate standard of living, including access to shelter and security. The Cameroon Occupation Forces’ repeated commission of such acts underscores the urgent need for international intervention, legal accountability, and justice for the victims.

The perpetrators must be held responsible for their crimes, and the international community must act swiftly to ensure the protection of civilians and the enforcement of humanitarian laws. Without justice and accountability, the suffering of the people of Ambazonia will persist, and impunity will continue to embolden further atrocities.

GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA