February 29, 2020, Small Babanki Tungoh village, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out yet another heinous act of brutality, abducting, torturing, and executing innocent and unarmed civilians in a ruthless display of state-sponsored violence.

According to eyewitness accounts, more than 19 individuals, including women and children, were forcefully taken from their homes, subjected to unspeakable torture, and ultimately murdered in cold blood. The massacre left behind a scene of horror and devastation, as families desperately searched for their loved ones, only to discover their lifeless bodies discarded with no regard for human dignity.

The barbaric attack was part of a continued campaign of terror inflicted upon the people of Ambazonia, aiming to suppress, intimidate, and eliminate any form of resistance or assertion of their fundamental rights. Among the many victims whose lives were tragically cut short in this state-sanctioned massacre were Veheny Promise, Ngwain Cleverson, Tob Amueh, Gweh Cyprain, Nyingcho Clovis Anguh, Vetouh Martina, Gahndieny Lilian, and Neijang Margaret. Each of them was an innocent civilian, undeserving of such inhumane treatment, yet they were brutally executed under circumstances that demonstrate a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

The Small Babanki massacre is not an isolated incident but a clear war crime, reflective of the widespread and systematic persecution of civilians by the Cameroon Occupation Forces in Ambazonia. These acts of unlawful killings, abductions, and torture are prohibited under International Law and amount to grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions.

The Cameroon Occupation Forces’ actions violate multiple provisions of international law, including Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits murder, torture, and inhumane treatment of civilians in armed conflict. Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) explicitly classifies willful killing, cruel treatment, and attacks on civilians as War Crimes. Furthermore, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), particularly Articles 3 and 5, affirms the right to life and protection from torture and inhumane treatment.

The execution of women and children in Small Babanki Tungoh represents a crime against humanity, demanding urgent international intervention, independent investigations, and legal accountability for the perpetrators. The systematic targeting of civilians in Ambazonia must not go unpunished, and the international community must take decisive action to ensure justice for the victims.

GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA