Extrajudicial Excesses in Bamenda: A French Cameroun Culture of Impunity

The lesson is simple and brutal: whether you fight or do not fight, whether you support or reject the Ambazonian struggle, the Biya regime considers you an enemy. If you are fortunate, they will beat or maim you. If you are not, they will kill you.

By The Independentistnews editorial desk

Our people must understand this clearly. We have said it repeatedly, and events continue to confirm it: whether you support Ambazonia or oppose it, La République du Cameroun sees you the same way it sees the Ambazonian State Army (ASA).

Following the recent successful operation by the ASA against the Biya army, regime forces did not pursue those they claim to be fighting. Instead, they turned their weapons on unarmed and innocent civilians, many of whom had no knowledge of what had occurred. This is not new behavior. It is a pattern.

On 20 May 2019, in Muyuka, forces of Paul Biya’s Forces de Défense et de Sécurité (FDS) entered the town and murdered a four-month-old baby, Martha Neba. Her parents had fled upon learning of the soldiers’ approach, believing—reasonably—that no force would harm an infant left alone in bed. They were wrong. The child was Ambazonian, and she was shot eight times.

Still within Muyuka LGA, in Ekona, another civilian was killed: Mbah Ivo, a former ASA fighter who had been imprisoned in 2017 and released in 2018. When soldiers advanced and residents fled, he chose not to run. He believed that having laid down arms, suffered injuries, and endured imprisonment, he was no longer a target. That belief cost him his life. He was killed not because he was fighting, but because he was Ambazonian. That is the truth the world must confront.

The lesson is simple and brutal: whether you fight or do not fight, whether you support or reject the Ambazonian struggle, the Biya regime considers you an enemy. If you are fortunate, they will beat or maim you. If you are not, they will kill you.

The same pattern repeated itself on Sunday morning, 28 December 2025, in Nkwen, Bamenda. The conclusion is unavoidable: In the eyes of Cameroon’s security forces, every Ambazonian is a combatant by identity alone. That is the logic of occupation. That is the culture of impunity. And that is why neutrality offers no protection.

The Independentistnews editorial desk