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The Kumba school massacre took place at Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy during the
BBC, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. (Pidgin)
Cameroon News Agency, Oct 25, 2020. Accessed Oct 25, 2020.
Xinhua, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. while the Cameroonian government and separatist movements accused each other. The Cameroonian government said that around 10 separatist fighters had carried out the massacre.Kumba killings: Goment accuse separatists, deny say army get hand for school killings
BBC, Oct 25, 2020. Accessed Oct 25 ,2020. (Pidgin) The
Cameroon News Agency, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. Cameroonian Communication Minister Rene Sadi strongly denied that the Cameroonian Army had been involved. Separatists have a history of attacking schools, which some of them regarded as legitimate targets because the French language is taught as a mandatory subject.Cameroon: I spent a week embedded with Anglophone armed separatists
, RFI, 14 June 2018. Accessed 14 June 2018. While students have been abducted and mistreated numerous times throughout the Anglophone Crisis, and several teachers have been killed, the attack on Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy was the first school massacre to take place during the war.
The attack was condemned by United Nations Secretary General
Reliefweb, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. On October 28, Cameroon's presidentCameroon: Four get death sentence over Kumba school massacre
Journal du Cameroun, Sep 8, 2021. Accessed Sep 8, 2021.
Anglophone Crisis
The Anglophone Crisis (), also known as the Ambazonia War or the Cameroonian Civil War, is an ongoing civil war in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. Following the suppression of the 2 ...
, in Kumba
Kumba is a metropolitan city in the Meme department, Southwest Region, Western Cameroon, referred as "K-town" in local slang. Kumba is the most developed and largest city in the Meme Department and has attracted people from the local villag ...
, Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
, in October 2020.Kumba killings: Six Mother Francisca International Academy students die inside school attack for south west CameroonBBC, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. (Pidgin)
Massacre
Around noon on 24 October 2020, men in civilian clothing arrived on motorcycles and stormed the school. With machetes and guns, they killed seven children and injured another 13. Some children were also injured when they jumped from windows to escape. According to an official, the dead children were all between 12 and 14 years old. According to one of the survivors, there had been twelve attackers, most of whom were dressed in military or police uniforms. A local claimed that the school had been making regular payments to the separatists in the area in return for safety; the school would not confirm this.Kumba Massacre: Who Is Responsible?Cameroon News Agency, Oct 25, 2020. Accessed Oct 25, 2020.
Perpetrators
No one claimed responsibility for the attack. Local authorities blamedAmbazonia
Ambazonia, officially the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, also referred to as Amba Land, is an unrecognised breakaway state in West Africa which claims the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon, though it currently controls almost ...
n separatists,8 children shot dead by gunmen in Cameroonian school: local mediaXinhua, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. while the Cameroonian government and separatist movements accused each other. The Cameroonian government said that around 10 separatist fighters had carried out the massacre.Kumba killings: Goment accuse separatists, deny say army get hand for school killings
BBC, Oct 25, 2020. Accessed Oct 25 ,2020. (Pidgin) The
Ambazonia Governing Council
The Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) is an Ambazonian independence movement. The movement has been known as "hardline" compared to other major Ambazonian separatist movements, and unwilling to engage with federalists. Starting off with a compl ...
quickly claimed to possess evidence that the Cameroonian Army was responsible, while the Interim Government of Ambazonia
The Interim Government of Ambazonia is the provisional government in exile of the internationally unrecognized Federal Republic of Ambazonia.
History Ayuk Tabe cabinet (2017–18)
The Interim Government of Ambazonia was formed from the Sou ...
drew parallels to the Ngarbuh massacre
The Ngarbuh massacre took place in northwestern Cameroon on 14 February 2020 during the Anglophone Crisis, and resulted in the murder of 21 civilians, including 13 children, by Cameroonian soldiers and armed Fulani militia.
Massacre
On 14 Fe ...
.Massacre In Kumba School: Amba, Gov’t Play Blame GameCameroon News Agency, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. Cameroonian Communication Minister Rene Sadi strongly denied that the Cameroonian Army had been involved. Separatists have a history of attacking schools, which some of them regarded as legitimate targets because the French language is taught as a mandatory subject.Cameroon: I spent a week embedded with Anglophone armed separatists
, RFI, 14 June 2018. Accessed 14 June 2018. While students have been abducted and mistreated numerous times throughout the Anglophone Crisis, and several teachers have been killed, the attack on Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy was the first school massacre to take place during the war.
Reactions and aftermath
The attack was condemned by United Nations Secretary General António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres ( , ; born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat. Since 2017, he has served as secretary-general of the United Nations, the ninth person to hold this title. A member of the Portuguese Socia ...
and UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
Executive Director, Henrietta Fore
Henrietta Holsman Fore (born December 9, 1948) is an American public health and international development executive who served as the 7th Executive Director of UNICEF till January 2022. Fore currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Holsman Interna ...
. Matthias Z. Naab, the Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon, stated that he was "shocked and outraged by the killing of innocent school children which were attending school to get an education". The World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
offered medical supplies to hospitals in the area.Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon condemns killing of school children in the South-West regionReliefweb, Oct 24, 2020. Accessed Oct 24, 2020. On October 28, Cameroon's president
Paul Biya
Paul Biya (born Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo; 13 February 1933) is a Cameroonian politician who has served as the president of Cameroon since 6 November 1982.
declared that October 31 would be a day of national mourning, with flags flown at half-mast all day.
On October 29, Cameroon claimed that the army had identified and killed the separatist commander who was responsible for the massacre, a man known as "Wonke". A month later, a suspected gunman known as "Commander Zabra" was arrested by the police.
After several months in court, four people were sentenced to death by the Buea Military Tribunal for their roles in the massacre on September 7, 2021.Journal du Cameroun, Sep 8, 2021. Accessed Sep 8, 2021.
References
{{coord missing, Cameroon 2020 mass shootings in Africa 2020 murders in Cameroon 21st-century mass murder in Cameroon Attacks on buildings and structures in 2020 Massacres in 2020 Massacres in Cameroon October 2020 crimes in Africa School killings in Africa School massacres Southwest Region (Cameroon) Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2020