February 31, 2020, Babanki Tungoh, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, the Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out yet another horrific act of violence against innocent civilians, marking a tragic day for the community.

According to eyewitnesses, heavily armed military forces descended upon the village in a brutal operation, abducting, torturing, and executing defenseless men, women, and children. The attack, characterized by extreme cruelty, saw nursing mothers forcibly separated from their infants, subjected to inhumane treatment, and later executed without mercy.

Terrified villagers were dragged from their homes in the early hours of the morning, their desperate pleas for mercy falling on deaf ears. Some victims were reportedly subjected to physical and psychological torment before being shot at close range, while others were taken away to unknown locations, never to be seen again.

The carnage left families devastated, with children witnessing the execution of their parents and entire households being wiped out in a matter of hours. The sheer brutality of the massacre is a grim reflection of the systemic violence perpetrated by the Cameroon Occupation Forces against the people of Ambazonia.

This deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians, including vulnerable groups such as nursing mothers and children, not only highlights the absolute disregard for human life but also exemplifies the oppressive and genocidal nature of the military campaign against the people of Ambazonia. The international community must take urgent action to hold those responsible accountable and prevent further atrocities from being committed.

The mass abduction, torture, and execution of innocent civilians, including nursing mothers and children, in Babanki Tungoh constitutes a War Crime and a crime against humanity under international law. According to Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the willful killing, torture, and inhumane treatment of civilians during an armed conflict is explicitly classified as a war crime. Furthermore, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions strictly prohibits violence to life and person, including murder, mutilation, cruel treatment, and torture against civilians who are not directly involved in hostilities.

The deliberate targeting of women, particularly nursing mothers, is a direct violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), while the killing of children violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). These acts, when carried out in a widespread and systematic manner, amount to Crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, necessitating urgent international intervention and legal accountability for the perpetrators.

GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA