July 4, 2021, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia, Cameroon Occupation Forces carried out yet another ruthless attack on innocent and unarmed civilians. Eyewitnesses recounted that among the victims was Mr. Gabriel, a taxi driver who was simply trying to earn a daily living to support his family when he was mercilessly shot and killed.
His tragic death, along with the suffering of many others, highlights the indiscriminate nature of the violence inflicted upon civilians. The occupation forces not only abducted and tortured civilians but also executed them without any form of due process. This act of brutality was meant to instill fear in the population and suppress any form of resistance.
The continuous attacks on unarmed individuals, including those merely seeking to sustain their families, demonstrate a systematic effort to destabilize communities and impose terror.
The ongoing use of abductions, torture, and extrajudicial killings further exposes the oppressive tactics employed by the occupation forces in their bid to tighten control over the Ambazonian people.
The killing of civilians in Mezam State constitutes a War Crime under international law, specifically violating the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions strictly prohibits violence against civilians, including murder, torture, and inhumane treatment of persons not actively participating in hostilities.
Mr. Gabriel, a civilian and a taxi driver, was not involved in any form of combat or resistance, making his targeted killing a direct breach of this law. Furthermore, Article 8 of the Rome Statute classifies the deliberate execution of civilians and the use of torture as War Crimes.
The extrajudicial execution of Mr. Gabriel and others is also a blatant violation of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which upholds the right to life and prohibits arbitrary killings.
The continued use of forced abductions, executions, and terror tactics by the occupation forces can further be classified as crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute, as they involve widespread and systematic attacks against a civilian population. Moreover, these actions violate Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which guarantees every individual’s right to security, livelihood, and protection from arbitrary violence.
The impunity with which these crimes are committed underscores the urgent need for international intervention to hold perpetrators accountable and seek justice for the victims. The international community must recognize these atrocities and act decisively to ensure that such egregious violations of human rights and humanitarian law are met with accountability and justice.
Genocide in Ambazonia
