HRW Warns On Abuses By Cameroonian Security Forces

Human Rights Watch has warned on various abuses by Cameroonian security forces, which it claims have killed at lease four citizens and raped one woman in the past month.

The alleged violations were undertaken in the Northwest region of the country. As the group is no longer able to access the country it has relied on witness testimonies to monitor the situation.

Commenting on the figures the group’s Central Africa director Lewis Mudge stated, "Instead of seeing that justice is done, Cameroon's authorities deny that their forces are killing and raping people, so it is essential to remind them that the world is watching."

The killings are the latest recorded in the country’s Anglophone regions, where conflict has resulted in around 2,000 deaths and around half a million displaced during the last three years.

Human Rights Watch has routinely reported incidents of burning villages, killings and sexual violence perpetrated by the security forces against the people of the Northwest and Southwest regions in this period.

“Security forces seem to have little fear of what will happen as they commit brazen crimes against civilians,” Mudge is quoted as stating.

“These attacks only further entrench the perception that the government cares more about crushing dissent, real or perceived, than it does about protecting its people and ensuring justice.”