Condemnation and outrage have followed the gruesome killings of innocent children and civilians in Ngarbuh, Donga Mantung division, Northwest region of Cameroon on a day kept aside to celebrate love – Valentine’s Day.
English-speaking Cameroonians have buried at least 30 members of their community who were killed Friday in a village in the northwest Ngarbuh.

The government has not issued a statement but residents and a source familiar with the matter – Cameroon News Agency say the military stormed the village led by State-sponsored militias and Fulani cattle herders.

“They moved from house to house, shooting and burning,” multiple sources say.

The same source reports that the military killed everyone they saw.

Trying to save their lives, the villagers ran out into the bushes to seek refuge, but those who were not able to run away were murdered, including a pregnant women and children who stayed back and hid themselves in a house.

Violence in the restive regions of Cameroon, especially the Northwest Region of the country has become an issue of major concern. The wanton killings in Ngarbuh, calls into question the sacredness of humanity.
It is unfortunate that Cameroon has reached a stage whereby the sacredness of humanity is being undermined and trampled on.

“No one has the right to callously take the life of another person, be it male or female, child or adult.
Given the fact that each person is of inalienable value, every violent killing must be met with outrage and condemnation.” – Santana Morris, February 2020.

For the past two days Cameroonians, especially the English speaking have taken to social media platforms condemning the killings of members of the Ngarbuh Community – from political leaders to members of the society and the press.

Ngar village, Donga Mantung – Suffering, death and killing are now the new normal. How did we get here were human life no longer has any value? We must all, now, genuinely seek for #peace before this country loses its soul. I pray for all those innocent victims. #Cameroon

— Akere Muna (@AkereMuna) February 15, 2020

The gruesome murder of 27 civilians including women and children by the State Defense Forces on 14 February 2020 in Ngarbuh, Donga Mantung Division of the North West Region in Cameroon must be investigated and the perpetrators of such egregious crimes brought to justice.

— Agbor Nkongho (@AgborNkonghoF) February 16, 2020

What crime these unoffending, innocent children + civilians in Ngarbuh could have committed to be brutally killed like this? @hrw @amnesty #Cameroon https://t.co/GuDTbGM9Pp

— Israel Ayongwa (@iayongwa) February 14, 2020

Violence broke out in the English-speaking North West and South West regions of Cameroon in November 2016 when a strike by English-speaking lawyers and teachers against what they described a marginalization by the French-speaking majority in the bilingual country degenerated into calls for secession.

In November 2017, President Paul Biya declared war on the separatists calling them terrorists. He called for a national dialogue in September 2019 – one of the resolutions of the dialogue was a special status for the restive regions. While English speaking Cameroonians await for the resolutions of this dialogue to be implemented, violence in these regions haven’t stopped.