Attackers kidnap and kill the deputy mayor of Cameroon

The deputy mayor of a town in Cameroon’s English-speaking north, hit by separatist violence, was killed after being abducted by armed assailants, state radio CRTV reported on Monday.

The politician’s body was found in a pool of blood two days after being kidnapped from his home on Saturday, CRTV reported, citing a local prefecture official.

A local human rights organization told AFP that its children witnessed the abduction.

English-language journalist Atia Tilarious Azonhw was abducted in the same town of Bamenda last Friday and no trace of the reporter has been found since then.

The capital of the English-speaking Northwest region, Bamenda, has been the site of numerous kidnappings and killings since the outbreak of separatist violence in 2016.

Separatists have repeatedly killed or kidnapped government officials, including teachers, or elected officials, whom they accuse of “collaborating” with Cameroon’s predominantly French-speaking central government.

The conflict erupted in late 2016 when President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for almost 42 years, brutally suppressed peaceful protests in two English-speaking regions.

Many people in English-speaking Cameroon feel marginalized by the central government.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 6,000 civilians have been killed by government forces and separatist fighters since the conflict began.

AFP

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