Attackers kidnap and kill deputy mayor in Cameroon

The deputy mayor of a city in Cameroon’s English-speaking north hit by separatist violence has been killed after being kidnapped by armed assailants, state radio CRTV reported on Monday.

The politician’s body was found in a pool of blood two days after she was kidnapped from her home on Saturday, the CRTV station said, citing a local prefectural official.

A local human rights group told AFP that its children witnessed the kidnapping.

English-speaking journalist Atia Tilarious Azonhw was kidnapped in the same town, Bamenda, last Friday and no trace of the reporter has been seen since.

Bamenda, the capital of the English-speaking Northwest region, has been the scene of a slew of kidnappings and killings since separatist violence broke out in 2016.

Separatists have repeatedly killed or kidnapped civil servants, including teachers, or elected officials, whom they accuse of “collaboration” with the central government of predominantly French-speaking Cameroon.

The conflict erupted in late 2016 after President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for almost 42 years, violently suppressed peaceful protests in the two English-speaking regions.

Many in English-speaking Cameroon see themselves as marginalized by the central government.

According to Human Rights Watch, at least 6,000 civilians have been killed by government forces and separatist fighters since the start of the conflict.

AFP

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