May 28, 2020, Mbam Bui Village, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, a horrific and unjustifiable act of violence was carried out by the Cameroon Occupation Forces against innocent and unarmed students.
What was meant to be a place of learning and growth, where students gathered to build their futures, was violently transformed into a crime scene as heavily armed forces stormed the school campus, abducting and brutally torturing students.
Eyewitnesses recounted the terrifying ordeal, describing how students were forcefully taken from their classrooms, their desperate cries for help ignored. The military showed no regard for the innocence of these young learners, treating them as targets rather than individuals seeking education.
Among the victims was a student named Suika Brian, who, along with several of his peers, was subjected to severe torture before ultimately being executed. Beaten, humiliated, and left to suffer, the students were deprived of their most fundamental rights—the right to life, dignity, and education.
The barbaric attack on students sent shockwaves throughout the community, leaving families devastated and the entire village in fear. The loss of young lives—children who had no role in any conflict—was a clear violation of both moral and legal standards governing armed conflicts. Schools, which should be protected spaces, were turned into sites of terror, forcing many other students and teachers to flee in fear of further violence.
The events of that day not only robbed families of their loved ones but also disrupted education in the region, as fear gripped the community. Parents, once hopeful for their children’s futures, were left with grief, pain, and unanswered questions about why their children were taken from them in such a cruel and inhumane manner. The deliberate targeting of students and schools is a grave violation of international law and must be met with accountability and justice.
The abduction, torture, and execution of students in a school setting are severe violations of International Humanitarian Law and constitute War Crimes under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions strictly prohibits murder, cruel treatment, and torture of civilians and non-combatants. Article 8(2)(e)(iv) of the Rome Statute explicitly criminalizes attacks on educational institutions and the killing of individuals in protected environments like schools. Additionally, Article 7 of the Rome Statute defines widespread attacks on civilians, including students, as crimes against humanity.
The attack on Mbam Bui Village was an intentional war crime, violating the right to education, protection of civilians, and human dignity, and warrants immediate international intervention and justice for the victims.
GENOCIDE IN AMBAZONIA