Manyu Division’s capital Mamfe has seen some of the heaviest fighting of the Southern Cameroons conflict so far, according to reports from activists and residents. Heavy gunfire was reported early this morning from the suburbs as the army sought to drive out the Ambazonian militants.

The fighting came as senior army officers of the Cameroonian army entered Mamfe yesterday with caterpillars grading a road to Kajifu to enable passage of military trucks to the Akwaya Sub constituency. Our chief intelligence officer who confirmed the fighting said the town of Mamfe is being deserted as the population prepares for a civil war scenario.

It means combatants across Manyu are now subject to the Geneva Conventions and could be liable for war crimes prosecution in the future.

‘Residents fleeing’

Cameroon Intelligence Report’s Sama Ernest says clashes between government forces and the Southern Cameroons militants seem to be creeping ever closer to the heart of Mamfe including Main Street, GRA and Mile One which is the centre of the Biya regime’s power.

François Louncény Fall, Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), introducing the Secretary‑General’s latest report (document S/2017/995), said that the Organization was facilitating the search for a peaceful resolution of regional conflicts. Focusing on inclusive dialogue, the Secretary‑General was calling on stakeholders to resolve their differences in a peaceful manner that conformed to existing legal frameworks and ensured security in ways that conformed to international law.

Mr. Fall noted that “In Cameroon, much of the country was being affected by either Boko Haram, the crisis in the Central African Republic or the anglophone separatist movement, he continued. There, too, he had encouraged genuine and inclusive dialogue, he said, but warned that prevention efforts must be increased to ensure that current tensions did not deteriorate in the context of the 2018 elections.”

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Sama Ernest