Cameroon Deploys Troops to Anglophone Region

Tensions in Cameroon continue to rise, as the President deploys troops to Anglophone regions ahead of next month’s elections.

350 security forces arrived in Buea on Tuesday and were due to be deployed to all six administrative divisions of the region.

Colonel Henry Nchinda, National Gendarmerie Legion Commander for the South West announced that forces would be sent to all parts of the region as a measure of ensuring that elections take place ‘without a hitch.’

Cameroon is set to go to the polls on February 9th in order to elect parliamentarians and municipal councillors, however the separatist movement is far from quelled and many are asserting that the vote will not be allowed to take place in the anglophone region.

Separatist leaders have announced a one-week lockdown on the regions beginning February 7 intended to stop the vote from taking place.

Armed separatist fighters have also kidnapped over 30 candidates for the twin elections in the regions in another bid to frustrate the process, promising to release them after the poll.

The latest kidnap was that of the Mayor of the Babessi municipal council in the Northwest region on January 5.

Mayor Issa Chou and four councillors who are seeking re-election were kidnapped and taken to unknown destination according to Mr Momoh Dero, a journalist in the area.

“He was kidnapped in his refugee abode, and despite the sympathy demonstrated by inhabitants of Mambim, he and others are still in captivity,” Mr Momoh told The East African.