Alachu-Mankon, Bleeds of Terror. One Soldier killed, above 10 shops Razed.

Saturday December 8th, till the moment of this post, Denizens of Alachu-Mankon, North West region, Cameroon, are yet to find solace and serenity. The community has been deafening with gunshots and characterised by total paranoid. A local market that served the community over the years is in ruins.
The immediate cause of the situation, is the assasination of a military officer who lived in the neighbourhood for many year. The act, done by Armed Separatist fighters. He was ambushed and murdered in cold blood in his apartment by the roadside. The said officer had been out of the country for a mission. A local confined that us , Upon his return from Equatorial Guinea, he was advised to relocate,  owing to the rising tension that targeted military officers. He hesitated.
His murder in the early hours of that morning, was good enough to transport a special team from the BIR ( Batallion D’intervention Rapid) camp to the scene. The BIR (Military force), is permenantly stationed at the “Bamenda Airport, a distance less than 300meters to Aluchu Village.
At about 8pm, same day, many people especially young men had to relocate to nearby villages and bushes, for fear of clashes. Then, when military arrived again in the evening, they could only retaliate by setting shops in the village ablaze. Reacting to STANDARD MIRROR investigators, villagers and victims who opted anonymity say, the military burnt down their shops. 

 “Its the army that did that burnings and our prayer is that, God should touch the heart of our president to solve this anglophone crisis. It’s is the cause of the burnings of our shops. We are innocent” Says a victim.

3 buildings host the shops set on fire, and are  on both sides of the highways, closest to the Presbyterian church. They deal in Pharmaceutical products, Decor shops, Provision store, Tailoring Workshops, Eating Parlours, and other petite items. One of the victims says, his provision store is worth above 2million Frs CFA, and he has gone bankrupt.

Many inhabitants at Alachu-Mankon, still live under fierce tension as military trucks are spotted regularly in the area. Some have resorted to the nearby Bushes, as their new habitats. “We discuss only for about an hour in the public and rush back to the bushes. We are scared of military as they accuse us of feeding the Amba boys. Life is tough and all we need is Frank Dialogue between the 2 parties”. Says another villager.

Since the crisis went sour late 2017 with the upshoot of armed groups, the civilian populations in many areas of the Northwest and Southwest regions have been trapped in the middle. Crimes perpetuated by either the military or Separatist fighters on themselves, are settled on innocent civilians. Reports of looting, gruesome killings, kidnapped and ransom taking are common.
Local rights groups, Non Governmental organisations, international bodies, nations and agencies like US Government and UN, have called for both parties to drop arms and respect the fundamental rights of the citizens.

Cameroon government had last month, created a Commission to Disarm the separatist and reintegrate them. However, experts say, its a far fetched venture, as the process in itself doesn’t include both parties.