30 Jan 2024 | 01:47 PM UTC
Cameroon: Separatist attack leaves at least one person killed in Buea, Southwest Region, Jan. 29
Increased security likely after separatist attack leaves at least one resident dead in Buea, Southwest Region, Cameroon, Jan. 29.
Officials will likely maintain increased security after separatist militants killed at least one person and injured several others in the Molyko area of Buea, Southwest Region, at around 23:30 Jan. 29. Militants initially deployed in the city to force residents to comply with lockdown orders, which aimed to paralyze economic activities. Several cars were also torched.
Checkpoints and searches of vehicles and personnel are likely, particularly on entry and exit routes to and from the city. Authorities may launch targeted operations against separatist hideouts in the region. Armed clashes between separatists and security forces cannot be ruled out.
Consult local security partners on the viability of traveling in the region. If operating in the area over the long term, vary routes and times of travel, and ensure the use of secure transport. Heed the directives. Maintain contact with diplomatic representations.
Militants often issue stay-at-home orders (also known as "ghost cities"); residents who do not comply with such measures may face intimidation and violence. The threat of violence remains elevated in the English-speaking Southwest and Northwest regions as various armed groups continue to call for secession. The situation has remained tense since October 2017, when secessionists unilaterally proclaimed the independence of the so-called state of Ambazonia, which is unrecognized internationally. The region is also plagued by banditry and other criminal activities.
