CAMEROON. Yaoundé: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Cameroonian soldiers of torture in the village of Ebam on February 26.
According to the HRW, the soldiers have committed, murder, rape, and looting of properties among other atrocities.
HRW has also released a report of its findings on the abuse by the soldiers. According to the report, around 20 women including four disabled were raped in March 2020.
Africa Director for Human Rights Watch, Ida Sawyer said, “Sexual violence is a heinous crime have governments have an obligation to deal with.”
She added that survivors of the Ebam attack are looking for justice. “They will live with the disturbing knowledge that those who abused them are walking free and have faced no consequences,” Sawyer said.
The report further said that the Cameroon presidency was approached on the matter but it had not yet responded.
Apart from raping women the soldiers also burned homes and beat up some men.
The Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa is an international Non-governmental organization based in Buea. The organization has agreed to the findings by the HRW.
Read Also: UN Calls For Investigations On Cameroon Soldiers
HRW’s investigation
To get solid evidence regarding the incidents, HRW conducted interviews with the victims who had face the wrath of the soldiers from March 1,2020 and January 5.
A 40-year-old woman narrated that around five masked soldiers entered her house and threatened to kill her if she refuses to have sex with them.
“After they raped me I fled into the bush where I spent two months, ” she lamented.
Cameroon’s northwest and southwest regions have been experiencing violence since 2016.
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