Warning: Disturbing images in this thread.pic.twitter.com/FzagP2E4O6
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These tensions have been around for decades. But in 2016, a wave of largely peaceful protests swept Anglophone Cameroon – and the government of Paul Biya, who has been in power since 1982, cracked down hard. Activists were arrested. Some were shot.pic.twitter.com/7oiqYnQ1cH
By late 2017, as unrest continued, some Anglophone Cameroonians were calling for an independent state that they call “#Ambazonia”.
Others were taking up arms to fight for it.pic.twitter.com/75h2nessVq
Since then, there have been groups of “Amba boys” fighting what they see as a liberation struggle. The government sees this as an armed insurgency - and has deployed its security forces to crush the rebels.pic.twitter.com/YLUFYK5DhX
There have been widespread reports of government troops burning villages. This mobile-phone video, for example, shows what looks like a unit of soldiers burning houses. We geo-located this video the village of Azi, in South-West Cameroon.pic.twitter.com/xMGmCNexBE
Many of the soldiers are wearing a uniform consistent with that worn by the government's Rapid Intervention Battalion or BIR. A resident of Azi also told the BBC that the men who burned houses belonged to the BIR.pic.twitter.com/kLQDVfiMMP
The government denied it was their men. They say that separatist rebels can get hold of BIR or other military uniforms, to make it look like the army is to blame.
We also analysed this video of a village on fire and found it to be Munyenge, in South-West Cameroon. We were able to speak with three local sources on the ground, who all say the village was burned by government troops.pic.twitter.com/TnWHat5zF8
Anglophone human rights groups claim that close to 70 villages have been burned down by the security forces. We found satellite imagery showing extensive fire damage in several villages, among them: Bekora...pic.twitter.com/MJRxFdh6oO
The government denies burning villages.
Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Cameroon’s Minister of Communication, told us: “Why would our defence forces burn villages, when their responsibility is to protect them?” @ITBMINCOMpic.twitter.com/JNDJQt3slx
Government forces are also accused of torture. We were sent this video of a captive being brutally beaten by men in uniform. They shout, “you’ve killed gendarmes, no?” Our analysis puts this outside the military police station in a village called Nkongle.pic.twitter.com/8l1FnKbYON
The Cameroonian government says it is aware of this incident and is investigating it.
“If…soldiers are found guilty of such behaviour,” said Mr Bakary, Minister of Communications, “they would be court-martialled immediately.” @ITBMINCOM
Separatists have also been accused of some abuses – including attacks on civilians thought to be working with the government.
These images, provided by @Amnesty, show a teacher who was shot for keeping his school open.pic.twitter.com/jyPc6JOUER
This conflict has already had a devastating impact on civilians. At least 20,000 have fled across the border into Nigeria. The UN estimates that another 160,00 are displaced with Cameroon. Many, like the people in this video, are still hiding in the forest.pic.twitter.com/2eOpCYpAEP
Watch our full investigation here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct_SLnAGDuM&t=17s …
Thanks to France and Britain. They mayhem the sowed in Africa has matured.
The link is quite an eye opener. The joke is on the BBC nowpic.twitter.com/9QP0693jD4
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