Cameroonian army said Thursday that it firmly opposed what it called “outrageous and provocative” report by the U.S.-based organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) on atrocities committed by its troops in its English-speaking region of Northwest.

The report published on Monday accused government forces of destruction of property, rape, murder and execution of civilians and looting in the region.

“Everything seems to clearly indicate that the multiple positions taken by HRW are intended only to discredit the defence and security forces,” army spokesman Cyrille Serge Atonfack Guemo said in a statement Thursday evening while stressing that the accusations were “unfounded.”

“This umpteenth trick by Human Rights Watch does not in any way weaken the morale of the defence and security forces,” he added.

Armed separatists fighting for the “independence” of the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest of the Central African nation have been clashing with government forces since 2017.

Source: Xinhaunet