Some personalities and institutions have been vindicated while others indicted as Government admits errors in the 14th February attack that claimed lives of children and women.
Cameroonians now have a broader idea of what actually transpired in Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw on the night breaking February 14, 2020.
This, thanks to the Investigation ordered by President Paul Biya and whose findings were published Tuesday April 21, 2020.
The findings are completely different from what the government had earlier presented as the “truth” of the attack.
It is equally different to an extent, of what some International Organization brandish especially in terms of death toll.
Before Tuesday’s Results, government and some rights Organizations were in a war of words over responsibilities and figures of the incident.
To the government, Rights groups were inflating figures and falsely accusing security forces of being responsible for the deadly attack.
The “truth” by then according to Defense Boss, Joseph Beti Assomo, corroborated by government’s spokesman Rene Emmanuel Sadi was that five (5) civilians including a woman was killed in the attack with seven (7) seperatist fighters neutralized and houses burnt down accidentally after a petrol container exploded.
Rights movements had rejected the version from the government asserting that the number of civilians killed were more than a dozen.
Some like Human Rights Watch (HRW) in their February Situation Report affirmed having satellite images indicting government forces.
Their figures were twenty three (23) civilians killed in the attacks on separate sites in Ngarbuh.
The Bishop of the Kumbo diocese went as far as to present names of victims of the incident, mostly children and pupils of the government primary school in Ngarbuh.
His own figures differed from that of the government and rights groups, though he placed responsibility solely on the military.
Besides conflicts of figures and responsibilities, some rights groups were accused by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji of haven collected FCFA 5 Billion to destabilize Cameroon through biased reports.
Human Rights Watch was indicted.
Some media organs like Equinoxe Television, STV and Balafon Radio, were also accused of playing the game of the rights groups.
It was in the midst of such conflicting figures and information that the Head of State ordered investigation within eight days.
Though coming two (2) months after, the results published by the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh has cleared doubts on many aspects relative to the Ngarbuh Massacre.
The report reveals that security forces were solely responsible for the killings of ten (10) children and three (3) women including others in Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw.
It equally reveals the fact that the fire incident was a planned act by the soldiers on the field to try to hide their crime.
The commander of the Ntumbaw Joint Regiment, Sergeant Baba Guida, who headed the operation actually presented a deliberately biased report on which the government initially based it’s communication.
One other revelation from the report is that commander Baba introduced into his team, armed civilians for the operation, but the funny part is that he cannot identify those civilians he brought in to reinforce the military.
Results of the in-depth Investigation ordered by President Paul Biya to dig deep into the Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw Attacks according to critics do not answer all questions on the lips of Cameroonians.
But the promptness of the Head of State to publish the findings is saluted.
What many equally salute are the sanctions taken by the Head of State on those found guilty and the compensation to the bereaved families.
Sanctions
The commander of the 52nd Motorised Infantry Batallion (BIM) in Nkambe, Ndonga Mantung Division of the North West region, Major NYIANGONO Ze Charles Eric who ordered the reconnaissance mission in Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw is under disciplinary proceedings.
He is blamed for underestimating the mission and failing to take the lead.
The commander of the Ntumbaw Joint Regiment, Sergeant Baba Guida and two of his boys, have been arrested and are to stand trial at the Yaounde Military Tribunal for their involvement in the operation that turned barbaric.
The armed civilians brought in to reinforce the soldiers are been tracked down and would be arrested when identified.
Compensatory Measures
President Paul Biya after going through the findings did not actually like the way the victims ended.
Reasons why he has ordered that the bodies of the victims should be exhumed and given a befitting burial to be sponsored by the state.
That the rightful claimants of the victims be duly identified and given the necessary assistance, (financial and otherwise).
Finally to put and end to the rising insecurity in Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw which has become a hub for seperatist fighters, the Head of State has ordered the setting up of a military base in the locality.
The insecurity it should be noted is as a result of the over three years old Anglophone crisis that has paralyzed activities in the NW and SW regions of the country.
The conflict in Ngarbuh-Ntumbaw is particular.
Military against Separatists on one hand, Seperatist against Fulani herdsmen on the other hand not sidelining harassment on the population by the “Amba Boys” who constantly request for assistance in the struggle.
By Louvier Kindo Tombe
Beautiful report bravoooo!