January 21, 2021, Menja Camp, Fako State, Southern Ambazonia, the Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out yet another brutal attack against innocent and unarmed civilians. Eyewitnesses recounted that among the victims was a poor farmer who was mercilessly shot 15 times, his body riddled with bullets in a clear act of extrajudicial execution.

This inhumane and excessive use of force against an unarmed civilian exemplifies the extreme brutality employed by the occupation forces in their systematic campaign of terror. Such an act of violence against a defenseless person, whose only crime was existing in a conflict-ridden area, highlights the sheer disregard for human life and the total absence of accountability within the occupying forces.

These killings are not isolated but part of a larger strategy to instill fear, suppress resistance, and depopulate communities through terror and destruction. The indiscriminate murder of civilians, including farmers who contribute to the sustenance of their communities, disrupts local economies and leaves entire families devastated, struggling with both grief and the loss of their means of survival.

This act constitutes a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law and is classified as a War Crime under several legal frameworks. Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 explicitly prohibits murder, torture, and other forms of inhumane treatment against individuals who are not actively engaged in hostilities, including civilians.

The execution of an unarmed farmer with 15 bullets is a clear violation of this fundamental provision. Furthermore, Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) categorizes the willful killing of civilians as a War Crime. The excessive force used in this execution also falls under acts of inhumane treatment, which violate both the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Additionally, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) explicitly guarantees the right to life and protection from arbitrary killing, meaning that the Cameroon Occupation Forces’ actions in Menja Camp directly violate international human rights law.

The deliberate targeting of civilians also meets the criteria for crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, which covers widespread or systematic attacks against civilian populations as part of a state-sanctioned policy. Such atrocities demand urgent international condemnation and intervention to hold the perpetrators accountable and provide justice for the victims. The continued impunity of the Cameroon Occupation Forces only emboldens further acts of violence and oppression, making it imperative for the international community to take action to stop these repeated crimes against humanity and war crimes in Ambazonia.

GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA