Cameroon has arrested four soldiers suspected of executing women and children accused of being accomplices of Boko Haram in the Far North Region.
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For sometime now, a horrific video has been circulating on the social media which shows military men (suspected to be Cameroon security forces), carrying out extra judicial execution of women and babies in a terrain which looks like the Far North region of Cameroon.
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Information we got from multiple reliable sources revealed that the Military men (wearing uniforms similar to that of the Cameroon army), executed the women and babies (seen in the viral video) because the two women were allegely suspected of being accomplices of the Nigerian jihadist group; Boko Haram.
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The two suspected women and their babies were shot at close range by alleged Cameroon security forces.View video below.
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After the video went viral catching the attention of Cameroon government officials, the Cameroon Minister of Communication and government spokes man; Issa Tchiroma Bakary immediately convened an urgent press conference on the 11th of July, 2018, to brief the press about the horrific viral video; which was tarnishing the image of the Cameroon army and the country at large.
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During the press conference, Issa Tchiroma told the press that Cameroon Defense and Security Forces have been accused of extrajudicial executions on civilians, which of course, is “totally wrong”.
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Issa Tchiroma Bakary also stated that the video that is currently going round is nothing but an unfortunate attempt to distort actual facts and intoxicate the public. Its sincerity can be easily questioned, with regard to the factual elements contained in this horrible trick play, with voices coarsely affixed to visual sequences.
Issa Tchiroma added that Cameroon government has hired experts to analyse the video and they confirmed that the video is Fake.
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These are some of the evidence (reasons) provided by the experts hired by the Cameroon government to proof that the viral video is fake (fake news)…
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- The military staff involved in this operation visibly have the same phenotype, though the Cameroonian Army is a National Army that brings together all the sociological components of the Nation. Moreover, as it is customary in the intervention protocols of our Army, operations are carried out without any consideration of ethnic or sociological background;
- The clothing element being fundamental in the identification of an army in relation with the geographical environment, a close examination of this video shows that the men involved wear colourful uniforms meant for operations in the forest, while the landscape and terrain clearly indicate that they are in the Sahelo-Saharan zone. It is crystal clear that to date, the combat uniforms used by the Cameroonian Army in such circumstances are of the Sahelian type. In addition, and still with regard to clothing as an identifier of the Armed Forces, the individual equipment of the Cameroonian soldiers engaged in that area are standard combat suits, namely, heavy helmets, bullet-proof vests and rangers boots. This is obviously not the case of the people in the video;
- The weapons displayed by the alleged soldiers presented in the video are not those used by the Cameroonian Army in this area of operation;
- One of the men, calling himself “Master Corporal CHO CHO Sissignon”, does not wear any sign indicating his rank. On the other hand, the design of the parachutist crest presented is not in conformity with the one used by the Cameroonian Army.
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After debunking the horrific viral video, Issa Tchiroma said ….
As you can see, there is no doubt about the deceptive nature of this sham.
Nevertheless, and despite the irrefutable nature of the evidence that I have just presented you, the Head of State has ordered the opening of an investigation as per usual practice.
I seize this opportunity to remind all of you of the professionalism of the Cameroonian Defense and Security Forces, who receive a solid military and law enforcement training, and who are permanently imbued with the imperative of compliance with the laws and regulations of the Republic, human rights and international conventions to which Cameroon is a party.
It goes without saying that the Cameroonian Defense and Security Forces involved in counter terrorism operations on the national territory, are today being targeted by those who, after being defeated in the field of operations, and without any support from the populations and increasingly isolated on the international scene, are attempting by means of such maneuvers to discredit them, undermine their morale and cause their demobilization.Faced with such a plan, the Government of the Republic vehemently denounces this collusive approach of the enemies of the Nation, renews its full confidence in the National Army and the Security Forces and assures them of the unfailing support of the entire Nation.
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On the 12th of July, 2018 (the day after Issa Tchiroma convened an urgent press conference regarding the horrific viral video), Amnesty International, a reputable human right organisation which had earlier published a report in June, 2018, accusing the Cameroon army fighting terrorism in the North West and South West region of carrying out targeted killings and other other human right violations), also published a report of an investigation conducted on the horrific viral video which shows the Cameroon security forces executing two women and two children allegedly accused of being accomplices of the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram.
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Amnesty International clearly stated in their report (published on the 12th of July, 2018) that both the weapons and uniforms of the soldiers in the video are indicative of the Cameroon army, and display patterns consistent with a number of possible units, including regular infantry and the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR), the special forces of the Cameroonian army.
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The report published by Amnesty International also states that the person filming the video specifically identified two members of the group as soldiers. The first is a second-rank soldier (soldat de deuxième grade) who he names as “Cobra”, the second a Master Corporal (caporal chef) who is named as “Tchotcho”. These names mean that the group can be identified.
While the Ministry of Communication claims that the mixed and casual nature of the uniforms indicates a lack of authenticity, Amnesty investigators have found the opposite. Mixed and partial uniforms are common among army personnel, especially in remote areas where this incident took place. Soldiers in the Far North region wearing casual flip flops and T-shirts, as well as a mix of tiger stripe print and woodland print, can be clearly seen in videos previously verified by Amnesty International.
The soldiers are followed by about 10 people whom the sources consulted said are most likely members of the local vigilantes’ committee (because they carry light weapons such as clubs and machetes) from the nearby village.
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According to Amnesty International’s analysts, the video was likely filmed in the Mayo Tsanaga area in the Far North region of Cameroon. The vegetation is generally consistent and matches other footage from the area. Terrace cultivations, as visible in the video, are found in Mayo Tsanaga. The rocks, the mountains and the low-growing shrubs (locally known as “tchaski”) can also be found in Mayo Tsanaga. There is a military base located in Mozogo in this region.
“The evidence we have provided forms a firm basis for strongly suggesting that the individuals committing these atrocities are members of Cameroon’s armed forces. Some individuals are clearly identifiable and cannot be allowed to get away with such a heinous act with impunity,” said Samira Daoud; Amnesty International Researcher and Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
A local NGO, the Network of Human Rights Defenders in Central Africa (Rhedac), also claimed to have “cross-checked” the information contained in the viral video and confirmed that the report published by Amnesty Internation is authentic.
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Barely few days after Amnesty International published its report stating that Cameroon Army personnel are responsible for shocking extrajudicial executions caught on video, pictures surfaced on the social media which shows two men with facial and body features similar to that of the Military men seen in the horrific viral video. View pictures below…
Social media “exposes” the soldiers who reportedly shot women and babies in the Far North Region pic.twitter.com/zOJoXBGH6X
— Mimi237 (@Mimimefo237) July 14, 2018
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Few days after the pictures of suspects surfaced on the social media, a senior Journalist in Cameroon, Guibai Gatama reported that three suspected killers of women and children in the viral online video shot in the Far North Region of Cameroon have been arrested.
Urgent!
A senior Journalist in Cameroon, Guibai Gatama has reported that three suspected killers of women and children in the viral online video shot in the Far North Region of Cameroon have been arrested pic.twitter.com/fgaSQkMM3i— Mimi237 (@Mimimefo237) July 16, 2018
Contrary to the report published by Guibai Gatama, 4 suspects have been arrested and not 3.
Barnabas Donossou Gorvo (AKA BDG), Tchotcho Cyriaque Bityala (AKA COBRA), and 1 other suspect (whose name is still yet to be known) were arrested in the far north region where they have been deployed.
Questioning of the 3 suspects led to the arrest of the fourth suspect who was not present at the execution but played a role in it.
They were from the air force and were diployed in Mabass; a small village in the Far North region where Bokoharam fighters are operating.
The two women who were summarily executed were abducted by the local vigilante group in the village and handed over to Tchotcho Cyriaque Bityala (AKA Cobra) and his killing squad; who brutally executed the women and their babies.
Another source close to the army, speaking from the head quarter of the Far North region; Maroua said, Within the army here in this region, there’s no doubt as to the video authenticity. Some soldiers have clearly expressed their disapproval of the action taken by their colleagues who have been arrested.
Our ears are still on the ground. We shall provide you with more information as the story unfolds. Thanks for reading.
View photos of the arrested suspects (Barnabas Donossou Gorvo and Tchotcho Cyriaque Bityala )
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