Witnesses and rights groups said soldiers and helicopter attacks opened fire on protesters at the height of separatist gatherings in Cameroon's English territory during the weekend, killing and wounding people.
The soldier dismissed reports from the source in five cities as "completely false" and said the helicopters used only for surveillance.
Every use of air strikes will mark a major escalation in government repression of separatist protests that have been running for nearly a year in the English districts of the central African oil producer.
Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across the northwest and southwestern regions on Sunday, October 1, calling for the independence of the French majority on the earth.
Rights groups reported that they began collecting reports of violence in areas bordering Nigeria as the week progressed.
Eight people in the cities of Bamenda, Buea, Ndu, Tombel, and Kumbo told Reuters that the police and soldiers moved to stop protests, and in some areas, helicopters with low flights attack the tear gas and enjoy the crowd.
Etienne Ndage, a 31-year-old journalist for Savannah Frontier Radio in the northwestern plantation town of Ndu, said he saw the helicopters go off at about 13:00 am, killing two protestors, as the march of a thousand mark gained momentum.
"They were like a war movie," he told Reuters.
Hilary Manjong, NDA's private secretary, said the witnesses shared similar accounts with him.
Army spokesman Didier Badjeck dismissed reports. "The reports that the helicopters fired on the protesters are completely false. The helicopters were only monitoring," he said.
Earlier this week, the government announced that about ten people died on Sunday, including five prisoners who might not have been associated with the protests.
Governor of the Southwestern region Bernard Okalia Bilai said in a journal Cameroon Tribune in a newspaper issued on Tuesday that the protestors had surrendered the Kabbalah troops, forcing them to open fire in self-defense.
Amnesty International told Reuters on Thursday that more than 20 people were killed between 1 and 2 October.
“THE INNOCENT ONES”
Demonstrations began nearly a year ago when Anglophone lawyers and teachers protested against having to work in French, saying it showed the wider marginalization of the English-speaking minority.
The protests gained support and have increasingly called for Cameroon’s five million English speakers to get their own country.
The rallies have also have become a lightning rod for opposition to President Paul Biya’s 35-year rule.
Campaigners called more protests on Sunday, the anniversary of Anglophone Cameroon’s independence from Britain.
In the southwest town of Tombel, a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that a military helicopter came so low over the town center that the wind gusts threw a man off his motorbike.
First the helicopter fired teargas to disperse the crowd, then it opened fire, the resident said. “Normally they fire rubber bullets, but I could tell from the sound that these were real,” they added.
Outside Buea, police on the ground and a helicopter opened fire on protesters who had run into the bush to bypass a military checkpoint, said Louis Anuchem, a 35-year-old taxi driver from Buea.
“The helicopter came close to the ground,” he added. “We heard the gunshots and the bullets coming through the trees,” he told Reuters.
After the demonstrations police went door-to-door in some towns, rounding up young men and women, residents said.
“Soldiers came to our neighborhood and broke into homes and carried boys away,” said Lanya Joel, a 21-year-old Kumba resident. “I am scared and will be away until it’s all over.”
Rights group the Southern Cameroon’s Public Affairs Committee said in a report that a 12 year-old girl was shot by security forces from a helicopter in the town of Kumbo.
The Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference of Anglophone Christian Bishops said in a statement this week that is was disturbed by reports that “some of our Christians were … arrested, some maimed, and some were simply shot to death, some from helicopters.”
Helene Mekem said her son was shot dead by security forces outside his home in Kumba on Sunday, even though he was not involved in the protests.
“They are killing the innocent ones,” she told Reuters. ❤ ❤ 2348050417551 available for a good time ... spill TEA.... Easy on Shade #jaiyeorie
Demonstrations began nearly a year ago when Anglophone lawyers and teachers protested against having to work in French, saying it showed the wider marginalization of the English-speaking minority.
The protests gained support and have increasingly called for Cameroon’s five million English speakers to get their own country.
The rallies have also have become a lightning rod for opposition to President Paul Biya’s 35-year rule.
Campaigners called more protests on Sunday, the anniversary of Anglophone Cameroon’s independence from Britain.
In the southwest town of Tombel, a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters that a military helicopter came so low over the town center that the wind gusts threw a man off his motorbike.
First the helicopter fired teargas to disperse the crowd, then it opened fire, the resident said. “Normally they fire rubber bullets, but I could tell from the sound that these were real,” they added.
Outside Buea, police on the ground and a helicopter opened fire on protesters who had run into the bush to bypass a military checkpoint, said Louis Anuchem, a 35-year-old taxi driver from Buea.
“The helicopter came close to the ground,” he added. “We heard the gunshots and the bullets coming through the trees,” he told Reuters.
After the demonstrations police went door-to-door in some towns, rounding up young men and women, residents said.
“Soldiers came to our neighborhood and broke into homes and carried boys away,” said Lanya Joel, a 21-year-old Kumba resident. “I am scared and will be away until it’s all over.”
Rights group the Southern Cameroon’s Public Affairs Committee said in a report that a 12 year-old girl was shot by security forces from a helicopter in the town of Kumbo.
The Bamenda Provincial Episcopal Conference of Anglophone Christian Bishops said in a statement this week that is was disturbed by reports that “some of our Christians were … arrested, some maimed, and some were simply shot to death, some from helicopters.”
Helene Mekem said her son was shot dead by security forces outside his home in Kumba on Sunday, even though he was not involved in the protests.
“They are killing the innocent ones,” she told Reuters. ❤ ❤ 2348050417551 available for a good time ... spill TEA.... Easy on Shade #jaiyeorie
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