September 2021 Bamessing ambush

Last updated
September 2021 Bamessing ambush
Part of the Anglophone Crisis
DateSeptember 16, 2021 [1]
Location
Near Bamessing, Ngoketunjia Division, [2] Ngo-Ketunjia
Result Ambazonian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Flag of the Federal Republic of Southern Cameroons.svg  Ambazonia
Commanders and leaders
Unknown "General No Pity" [1]
"General Sagard" [2]
Units involved
6th Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) [3] Bambalang Marine Forces [4]
Jaguars of Bamessing [2]
Casualties and losses
15 killed
Two armored vehicles destroyed [4] 		None confirmed

On 16 September 2021, two Ambazonian separatist groups, namely the Bambalang Marine Forces and Jaguars of Bamessing, ambushed a military convoy near Bamessing, Ngo-Ketunjia. The ambush was one of the deadliest single separatist attacks so far in the Anglophone Crisis, [1] and led to the announcement of a "paradigm shift" by Cameroon's Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo six days later. [5]

Contents

Background

By September 2021, the separatists had acquired anti-tank rockets, probably imported from Nigeria. These weapons were used in a series of attacks, [6] with the first taking place at Kumbo on 12 September. [4]

The ambush

According to Agence Cameroun Presse, the ambush was jointly organized by two separatist militias, namely the Bambalang Marine Forces led by "General No Pity" and the Jaguars of Bamessing commanded by "General Sagard". [2] The attack targeted a convoy of the 6th Rapid Intervention Battalion which was on a reconnaissance mission. [3] The rebels stopped the convoy using an improvised explosive device [7] [8] next to a hill [7] on a road from Bamessing to Sabga, [2] whereupon they fired anti-tank rockets and destroyed two armored vehicles. [4] The insurgents then targeted the government troops with heavy gunfire. [4] Overall, 15 soldiers were killed in the ambush. [2]

Following the ambush, the separatist fighters including "General No Pity" filmed themselves celebrating next to the burning vehicles before taking off with captured weapons. [1] [2] Based on the footage, Agence Cameroun Presse journalist Ariane Foguem argued that rebels had also taken uniforms from the convoy. [2] The insurgents went on to post videos on social media which showed them posing with the naked corpses of the killed soldiers. Foguem also claimed that the rebels had captured some soldiers whom they subsequently tortured to death. [9]

Aftermath

After the attack, Cameroonian forces went to search for the separatists in Babanki and killed at least two civilians. [10] Cameroon's United Socialist Democratic Party, an opposition party, called for a ceasefire between the government and the separatists in response to the ambush, with party president Prince Ekosso stating that the "whole country is bleeding". [6] United People for Social Renovation secretary general Serge Espoir Matomba stated on Facebook that the ambush was a "shameful attack on Cameroon's democracy". [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambazonia</span> Political entity proclaimed by Cameroons Anglophone separatists

Ambazonia, alternatively the Federal Republic of Ambazonia or State of Ambazonia, is a political entity proclaimed by Anglophone separatists who are seeking independence from Cameroon. The separatists claim that Ambazonia should consist of the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon. Since 2017, Ambazonian rebels have engaged in armed conflict with the Cameroonian military, in what is known as the Anglophone Crisis, setting up a government-in-exile and capturing some territory. No country has recognized Ambazonia's existence as of 2024.

United People for Social Renovation is a political party in Cameroon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglophone Crisis</span> 2017–present separatist conflict in Cameroon

The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War or the Cameroonian Civil War, is an ongoing armed conflict between Cameroon Armed Forces and armed separatist groups, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. Following the suppression of 2016–17 protests by Cameroonian authorities, separatists in the Anglophone regions launched a guerrilla campaign and later proclaimed independence. Within two months, the government of Cameroon declared war on the separatists and sent its army into the Anglophone regions.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2017.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2018.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Cameroons Defence Forces</span>

The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces is the armed wing of the African People's Liberation Movement, an Ambazonian separatist movement. It is led by Ebenezer Akwanga, who is based in the United States, Together with the Ambazonia Defence Forces, it was one of the most prominent militias fighting in the early Anglophone Crisis. It is mainly active in Meme and Fako.

Red Dragon is an Ambazonian separatist militia loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia, and is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council. It was led by Lekeaka Oliver, and controlled most of Lebialem Division in the Southwest Region, driving away the traditional rulers and local administrators. The group was greatly weakened in 2022, with Oliver being killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tigers of Ambazonia</span>

The Tigers of Ambazonia (TTA), also known as Manyu Tigers or Tigers of Manyu, are an Ambazonian separatist militia. According to its official website, the Tigers recognize the authority of the Interim Government of Ambazonia. The militia is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council. The Tigers mainly operate in Manyu and Meme.

The Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (ASC), also known as Ambazonia Military Council (AMC), Ambazonia Military Forces (AMF), and Ambazonia Restoration Forces (ARF), is an umbrella organization that consists of several militants that fight for the independence of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, including the Red Dragons, the Tigers of Ambazonia, Seven Karta, the Manyu Ghost Warriors, the Ambazonia Restoration Army, the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces, the Bui Warriors, General No Pity's forces, and numerous others. Collectively, these militias possibly outsize the Ambazonia Defence Forces and SOCADEF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lekeaka Oliver</span> Ambazonian separatist commander (1968–2022)

Lekeaka Oliver, popularly known as Field Marshall, was a Cameroonian army soldier and later an Ambazonian separatist commander and the leader of the Red Dragon militia. His armed group is part of the loosely-structured Ambazonia Self-Defence Council, and is loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia. The Red Dragon is mainly active in Lebialem Division, Southwest Region. Oliver was the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government. Throughout his time as a separatist leader, Cameroonian forces erroneously reported that he had been killed three times. He was killed on 12 July 2022, though it remains unclear whether he was killed by Cameroonian forces or in an incident of separatist infighting.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bamenda Clean</span> Part of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon

Operation Bamenda Clean is an ongoing Cameroonian special counter-insurgency operation in Bamenda, Northwest Region, aimed at preventing armed Ambazonian separatists from operating in the city. By January 2021, Cameroon was gradually achieving what a security analyst at the University of Yaoundé called "relative peace" in Bamenda, and the mayor of the city stated that the operation was succeeding. However, as of March 2021, separatist-imposed ghost towns remained widely respected by the local population, and separatists controlled most roads leading in and out of Bamenda.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2021.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2022.

Clement Mbashie, better known by his nom de guerre "General No Pity", is an Ambazonian separatist who commands several militant groups, most importantly the Bambalang Marine Forces and Bui Unity Warriors, in the Anglophone Crisis.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bui Clean</span>

Operation Bui Clean, also called Operation Kumbo Clean or Operation Clean Kumbo, was a military offensive conducted by the Cameroon Armed Forces against Ambazonian separatists in Cameroon's Northwest Region from May to June 2021. The operation took place in the context of the Anglophone Crisis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Cameroon: Ambazonia fighters kill 15 soldiers in restive NW region, Journal du Cameroun, Sep 17, 2021. Accessed Sep 17, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ariane Foguem (17 September 2021). "Anglophone crisis: About 15 soldiers perish in Amba ambush in Sabga". Agence Cameroun Presse. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 Aurore Bonny (21 September 2021). "'Secessionist terrorists' kill 15 soldiers in Cameroon conflict zones". AA. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Cameroon separatists kill 15 soldiers in attacks using explosives, Reuters, Sep 21, 2021. Accessed Sep 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ MINDEF Admits Strategy Against Ambazonia Forces Has Failed, Cameroon News Agency, Sep 22, 2021. Accessed Sep 22, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Cameroon: Rebels Use Smuggled Anti-Tank Rockets to Kill 28 People, Voice of America, Sep 23, 2021. Accessed Sep 23, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Cameroun: une dizaine de soldats tués dans le Nord-Ouest". rfi. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Rebel attacks kill 15 soldiers, civilians in western Cameroon". al-Jazeera. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  9. ↑ Ariane Foguem (20 September 2021). "Cameroon: Army silent over gruesome killing of soldiers in restive Anglophone region". Agence Cameroun Presse. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  10. ↑ Facebook, Cameroon News Agency, Sep 17, 2021.
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