February 14, 2020, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out a horrific and large-scale atrocity, abducting, torturing, and killing hundreds of innocent children in what can only be described as a deliberate act of terror against unarmed civilians. According to eyewitness accounts, the attack was systematic and ruthless, targeting vulnerable children who had no means of defending themselves.

The Cameroon Occupation Forces, acting with utter disregard for human life, stormed the villages of Mezam and carried out indiscriminate abductions. Innocent Children were forcefully taken from their homes, schools, and public places. Those who tried to escape were brutally beaten or executed on the spot. The abducted children were subjected to horrendous acts of torture, enduring severe physical abuse, psychological torment, and other inhumane treatments. Many of them were later found lifeless, their bodies bearing the horrific marks of violence and suffering.

Eyewitnesses recounted the anguish and despair of the families and communities left to mourn the tragic loss of innocent young lives. Parents were left helpless and devastated, unable to protect their children from the unchecked brutality of the occupying forces. The sheer scale of this massacre reflects a calculated campaign of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and collective punishment aimed at erasing a generation and instilling terror in the people of Ambazonia.

This gruesome mass killing of children is not only an egregious violation of human rights but also one of the gravest crimes under international law. The deliberate targeting of innocent children in such a manner constitutes a crime against humanity and must be condemned by the international community.

The mass abduction, torture, and execution of innocent children in Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, by the Cameroon Occupation Forces constitutes a War Crime and a Crime against humanity. This atrocity violates multiple provisions of International Humanitarian Law, including:

• Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (1949): Prohibits the murder, torture, and inhumane treatment of civilians, including children.
• The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998): Defines extermination, enforced disappearances, and systematic murder as crimes against humanity (Article 7) and war crimes (Article 8).
• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989): Protects children from violence, exploitation, and inhumane treatment.
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948): Guarantees the right to life and protection from arbitrary killings.

This mass killing of innocent children is a heinous violation of international law, requiring immediate global intervention to bring the perpetrators to justice and to prevent further atrocities against innocent civilians.