Seven-year-old Pupil Killed by Stray Bullet Near Catholic School in Cameroon, Priest Says

Officials of the Catholic Charity and Peace organization, Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), that has been monitoring the conflict reported heavy shooting between the Cameroonian military and the Amba Boys in an exchange that has led to several deaths in August alone.

In an August 18 report shared with ACI Africa, DHPI officials reported that a heavy military invasion was witnessed in the morning hours of August 11 as the forces searched for a certain General Grandpa who is said to have led many attacks against the military forces in the region.

“In the course of the gunshots, the armed forces broke into homes demanding the whereabouts of General Grandpa under whose command the ARFs (Ambazonia Restoration Forces) have killed a good number of state forces and carted away tons of arms and ammunition,” officials of DHPI said.

In a report issued in May, DHPI leadership also reported that the military forces in Kumbo had been harassing residents.

Fr. Ngenge Godlove Bong-aba, former Parish Priest of St. Therese of the Child Jesus in Cameroon's Archdiocese of Bamenda who is now working with DHPI said that a number of innocent civilians had lost their lives in what is referred to as “operation clean up Kumbo.”

More in Africa

Catholic Bishop in Nigeria Warns of Rise in “youth moral decadence”, Calls for Multipronged Solutions, Ethical Guidance

Read the article

The DHPI official noted that some of the residents had fled and were hiding in bushes while their houses were being looted by the military.

In February last year, the law enforcers invaded a village in Kumbo, leaving 24 civilians, including pregnant women and children, dead and hundreds displaced.

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.