Tensions run high in Cameroon

Cameroon’s restive anglophone regions were in lockdown yesterday as separatists marked the first anniversary of a symbolic “independence” declaration just a week before a nationwide presidential poll.

A 48-hour curfew was imposed on English-speaking towns in the regions which have been rocked by deadly clashes sparked by the majority francophone country’s sensitive linguistic divide.

Gunfire was reported yesterday in the flashpoint town of Buea in the country’s southwest which has been at the heart of the nascent insurgency.

In other English-speaking areas, shops and bars were ordered to close, meetings of more than four people were banned and transport was suspended.

On October 1, 2017 at least 40 pro-anglophone protesters were killed by police.

The worst-affected towns – Buea and Bamenda, the capital of the northwest region – were flooded with security forces who arrested dozens of suspects following a symbolic “independence” declaration. –