March 18, 2021, Foe Bakundu, Meme State, Southern Ambazonia, Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out yet another brutal and inhumane attack against innocent and unarmed civilians. According to eyewitness accounts, the occupation forces abducted, tortured, and murdered civilians in a cold-blooded act of terror.

The violence did not stop at human lives; the forces also set fire to houses and properties that civilians relied on for their livelihood, leaving survivors in a state of devastation and despair. The deliberate destruction of homes, farms, and businesses was a calculated move aimed at destabilizing communities, forcing displacement, and depriving civilians of their means of survival.

These actions, which constitute clear violations of fundamental human rights, reflect a broader strategy of oppression and collective punishment against the people of Ambazonia. The attack was not just an assault on individuals but an attack on the very existence of the community itself, seeking to erase their means of sustenance and security.

This atrocity constitutes a War Crime under multiple international legal frameworks. The Geneva Conventions of 1949, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, explicitly prohibit violence against civilians, including murder, torture, and the destruction of civilian property.

Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions forbids violence to life and person, including murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture, all of which were committed in this attack. Additionally, the deliberate destruction of homes and essential civilian properties is a direct violation of Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which criminalizes the extensive destruction and appropriation of property, not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly.

Furthermore, the burning of civilian homes and livelihoods is a grave breach of international humanitarian law and 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. Such widespread, systematic attacks against civilians also constitute crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, which includes murder, extermination, forced displacement, and other inhumane acts deliberately committed against civilian populations. These crimes demand urgent international intervention, accountability, and justice for the victims. The international community must hold the perpetrators responsible and ensure that justice prevails, not only for the innocent lives lost but also to prevent further atrocities from occurring. The continued silence and inaction of global bodies only serve to embolden war criminals, allowing them to perpetrate violence with impunity. Therefore, it is imperative that immediate legal and diplomatic measures be taken to hold the Cameroon Occupation Forces accountable for these heinous crimes and to protect the rights and dignity of the people of Ambazonia.

GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA