May 25, 2018, Menka-Pinyin, Mezam State, Northern Ambazonia: Cameroonian Occupation Forces carried out heinous acts against unarmed civilians, including abduction, torture, and murder.

Among the victims was Young Sidoni, a secondary school student, who represented the vulnerability of countless others caught in this horrific incident. Eyewitness accounts detail the tragic fate of innocent civilians, including women and children, whose lives were brutally taken.

This attack left an indelible scar on the community, targeting its most defenseless members and devastating families.

The deliberate targeting of civilians during armed conflict is a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Under the Geneva Conventions (1949), specifically Common Article 3, acts such as murder, torture, and cruel treatment of individuals not actively involved in hostilities are prohibited. The actions of the Cameroonian Occupation Forces blatantly defied these principles by abducting and killing unarmed civilians, who posed no threat. Women and children, as protected groups, were also subject to inhumane treatment, further intensifying the atrocity.

Furthermore, the abduction, torture, and murder committed by these forces contravenes Article 8(2)(e)(i) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which classifies attacks intentionally directed against civilians as War Crimes. The targeting of Young Sidoni, a student, highlights the indiscriminate and disproportionate nature of these actions, violating the principle of distinction in warfare, which mandates the clear differentiation between combatants and civilians.

These atrocities also breach the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), particularly Article 6, which guarantees the right to life. The random and intentional killing of civilians violates fundamental human rights and underscores a broader pattern of terror aimed at subjugating the Ambazonian people.

The events of May 25, 2018, demand urgent accountability under International Law. This Crime against humanity highlights the need for thorough investigations and prosecution of those responsible to prevent future violations and protect the rights and dignity of civilians in conflict zones.