At least six students aged 9 to 12 were killed and several others wounded in a massacre at a school in Kumba, in the southwestern English-speaking region on Saturday, October 24, according to a report released in the evening by the Cameroonian Prime Minister.
It was a school day like any other, in this private college located in the heart of the city of Kumba. When suddenly, in the late morning, unidentified armed men arrived. According to testimonies, they opened fire on several students in a rage that unleashed a veritable carnage before disappearing as mysteriously as they arrived. Behind them, lifeless bodies, wounded, blood, tears, horror, the media reported.
The Prime Minister spoke in the evening Saturday about the death toll of six students. The United Nations lists eight dead. “At least eight children were killed by gunfire and machete attacks. Twelve others were wounded and taken to local hospitals,” said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Cameroon in a statement.
For their part, several civil society voices are calling for an independent investigation to determine whether secessionist fighters or militiamen are involved, and the opening of a political dialogue to resolve the conflict. This is the case of Maximilienne Ngo Mbe, Executive Director of Redhac, the network of human rights defenders in Central Africa.
The city of Kumba has draped itself in the veil of mourning, while the whole country struggles to contain its pain and emotion.
For their part, several civil society voices are calling for an independent investigation to determine whether secessionist fighters or militiamen are involved, and the opening of a political dialogue to resolve the conflict.