French Cameroun army soldiers deployed to Southern Cameroons were behind the “barbaric” murder of a woman in the Momo County, Cameroon Intelligence Report sources in the northern zone have confirmed. The troops loyal to the desperate regime in Yaoundé have carried out several raids in Momo, Menchum and Bui County that have left a host of innocent civilians dead or injured over the past week.

Our chief correspondent in Bamenda, Sama Ernest hinted that a lot of the casualties that are civilians are not a mistake but from decisions that are made in Yaoundé by senior Beti Ewondo military barons.  A Roman Catholic priest serving with the Bamenda Ecclesiastic Province who spoke to us but sued for anonymity observed that there are many situations in which the French Cameroun army soldiers do knowingly target Southern Cameroons civilians.

Cameroon Intelligence Report understands that Defense Minister Beti Assomo, Minister- Secretary General at the presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh and Minister Paul Atanga Nji are very much in charge of deciding whether or not Yaoundé would stop its troops from killing innocent Southern Cameroons civilians and that President Biya has “no say” since senior military officers are enjoying financial gains from the war in Southern Cameroons.

Speaking to our Yaoundé city reporter on Monday, a senior member of Prof Maurice Kamto’s MRC party who hails from the Centre Region noted that “The elephant in the room not being discussed is the tremendous financial gain that is being made by the military hierarchy in this so-called Anglophone crisis”

Thousands of French Cameroun troops are in Southern Cameroons, allegedly to fight Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

French Cameroun’s fifty-seven year rule over Southern Cameroons came to an end following the declaration of independence by the jailed Ambazonia leader, President Sisiku Ayuk Tabe but three years on, Yaounde is still seeking a military solution to the crisis with the Southern Cameroons Interim Government who still controls large swathes of territory.

The Ambazonia leader including Vice President Dabney Yerima have so far rejected a proposal to lay down arms and instead called on the UN and the African Union to send in an international fact finding mission to end the use of force in Southern Cameroons.  The Ambazonia Interim Government also insists that the so-called Biya national dialogue cannot move ahead until all Southern Cameroonians are released from French Cameroun detention centers and prisons.

According to the United Nations, nearly 3,000 civilians have been killed or wounded and some 50,000 Southern Cameroonians are now refugees in Nigeria.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai with files from Sama Ernest and Rita Akana