Schools shut and streets deserted as troops intensify patrols…reports Africa Daily News Desk
Armed separatists have imposed a weeklong lockdown across Cameroon’s conflict-hit English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, disrupting daily life and triggering renewed security concerns as the new school year begins.
Separatist leaders announced the lockdown on social media, saying it began on Monday and was intended to disrupt the reopening of schools, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Residents in Bamenda, the capital of the Northwest Region, reported a tense atmosphere, with streets largely deserted, businesses shut and schools closed amid restrictions on movement.
“We heard gunshots. People are really afraid. The streets are deserted. Shops are closed, and almost all activities have stopped,” a resident told Xinhua, requesting anonymity.
In a video circulated online on Sunday, armed separatist fighters threatened violence against anyone attempting to defy the lockdown.
Security officials said additional troops had been deployed across the two regions to conduct round-the-clock patrols. Regional authorities had earlier assured residents that security measures were being strengthened and urged them to continue their normal activities.
Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions have been gripped by an armed separatist conflict since 2017, when English-speaking separatists launched a campaign against government forces seeking to establish an independent state.
The latest lockdown comes amid continued incidents of violence and abductions in the region. In July, seven passengers travelling from Bafoussam to Bamenda were reportedly kidnapped after armed men intercepted their vehicle, with the abductors allegedly demanding ransom.
In June, around 12 people, including 10 bus passengers, were abducted by suspected separatist fighters after gunmen intercepted a bus travelling from Ndop to Bamenda.
Ransom kidnappings and attacks on travellers have become frequent in parts of Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, where separatist groups continue to clash with government forces amid their long-running push for independence.
