August 14, 2020, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, experienced yet another horrifying act of brutality at the hands of the Cameroon Occupation Forces. On that fateful day, what should have been a normal morning turned into a nightmare as heavily armed soldiers descended upon the community, instilling fear and terror among the local population.
Their targets were innocent civilians, ordinary people who had no part in the ongoing conflict but were nonetheless subjected to unspeakable cruelty. Among the victims was a mother and her child, whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Eyewitnesses described the chilling scene as soldiers forcefully stormed homes, dragging terrified residents out into the streets. The cries of children and the desperate pleas of women fell on deaf ears as the armed forces carried out their operation with ruthless efficiency.
The mother and her child were among those abducted, torn apart from the safety of their home and thrown into an ordeal no human being should ever endure. The victims were subjected to severe torture, their bodies and spirits broken by relentless cruelty.
The mother, desperate to shield her child from harm, could do nothing against the overwhelming force of the armed soldiers. Her child, too young to understand the horrors unfolding, was caught in the merciless grip of an oppressive regime that recognized no innocence, no humanity.
The fate of many of those abducted remains unknown, lost in the shadows of detention centers where unspeakable atrocities are carried out away from the eyes of the world. The mother and child, along with other innocent civilians, were subjected to inhumane treatment, enduring physical and psychological abuse at the hands of their captors.
For the survivors, the scars left behind—both visible and invisible—serve as a painful reminder of the atrocities committed against them. The fear instilled in the hearts of the people of Mezam remains, as they continue to live under the constant threat of abduction, torture, and death.
This brutal incident constitutes a War Crime and a Crime Against Humanity under international humanitarian law. Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions strictly prohibits violence against civilians, including torture, cruel treatment, and taking of hostages—all of which were committed in this attack. Additionally, Article 8(2)(a)(ii) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) criminalizes torture and inhuman treatment of civilians in times of conflict.
The abduction and abuse of a mother and her child also violate the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which guarantees children protection from violence, abduction, and mistreatment. Furthermore, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) condemns acts of violence and abuse against women, particularly in conflict zones.
Given the widespread and systematic nature of these abductions and acts of torture, this incident may also qualify as a crime against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, which defines such crimes as part of a larger attack directed at a civilian population. These violations demand urgent international condemnation, investigation, and accountability for those responsible.
GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA