Anglophone Crisis: Nation Observes First Day Of Mourning For Victims Of Four-Year Long Conflict

By Doh Bertrand Nua

Cameroonians of all walks of life Saturday 31 October 2020 observed a national day of mourning for victims killings that took place of the campus of Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy in Kumba.

Nation pays tribute to massacred Kumba students

The day of mourning was declared by the Head of State, Paul Biya in a presidential decree he signed Wednesday 28 October 2020.

The decree instructed that the country’s national flag be flown at half-mast all day long throughout the national territory in memory of the seven kids heinously killed by gunmen.

Saturday’s national day of mourning has gone down memory as the day first declared by President Biya to mourn victims of killings recorded in the over three years armed conflict.

Many are those who have long criticize the president for giving a blind eye to killings in the two regions. Since 2016 when the crisis started, many national days of mourning have been declared for killing in other parts of the country while giving a blind those in the NW, SW regions. 

The conflict according to human rights groups estimation have claimed the lives of at least 3,000 people, forced more than 700,000 to flee their homes in search of safety with almost 60,000 living in neighbouring Nigeria as refugees. 

The attack on the school campus came barely two weeks after classes resumed for the 2020/2021 academic year. Separatist fighters who for over three years order for school boycott had ordered for resumption of classes but under certain conditions. 

The school boycott according to recent UNICEF estimations has kept at least 855 000 children out of school. 

The said crisis according to the statistics from the UN has rendered 2.3 million in need from 160 000 in 2009 and caused over 3000 deaths, left 600 000 as IDPs, closed to 70 000 as refugees.