Operation Bamenda Clean is an ongoing Cameroonian
special
Special or specials may refer to:
Policing
* Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force
* Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer
Literature
* ''Specia ...
counter-insurgency
Counterinsurgency (COIN) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces". The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionar ...
operation in
Bamenda
Bamenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the Northwest Region, Cameroon, Northwest Region. The city has a population of about 2 million people and is located north-west of the Cameroonian ca ...
,
Northwest Region, aimed at preventing armed
Ambazonia
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 from operating in the city.
[Cameroon/Bamenda clean operation: Bar Council wants soldiers’ ‘abuses’ probed](_blank)
Journal du Cameroun, Sep 25, 2020. Accessed Sep 26, 2020. By January 2021, Cameroon was gradually achieving what a security analyst at the University of Yaoundé called "relative peace" in Bamenda,
[Cameroonians Displaced by Crisis Return on New Year](_blank)
Voice of America, Jan 2, 2021. Accessed Jan 3, 2021. and the mayor of the city stated that the operation was succeeding.
However, as of March 2021, separatist-imposed ghost towns remained widely respected by the local population, and separatists controlled most roads leading in and out of Bamenda.
Background
![Bamenda from mountain road](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Bamenda_from_mountain_road.jpg)
Throughout the
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 ...
, armed separatists had used motorcycles to carry out
hit-and-run attacks against soldiers and police officers, and the Cameroonian security forces wished to deprive them of bases of operation in the city and its vicinity.
[Operation Bamenda clean: Residents share tori of 'wickedness' as Cameroon army begin mop-up separatists](_blank)
BBC, Sep 9, 2020. Accessed Sep 26, 2020. (Pidgin) On September 4, the Mayor of Bamenda outlawed motorcycles in the city, to which separatists responded by threatening to bring all traffic to a halt. Three days prior to the official launch of the operations, soldiers from the
Rapid Intervention Battalion The Rapid Intervention Battalion (''Bataillon d'Intervention Rapide'', or BIR) is an elite military force and an army combat unit of the Cameroonian Armed Forces.
The unit is supported by the United States, reports directly to the president of Cam ...
had killed a prominent Ambazonian general in Bamenda named Luca Fonteh, known as the
nom de guerre
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
"General Mad Dog".
The rebels in Bamenda include female fighters.
The operation
Aims and rationale
The operation was officially announced on the same day as it commenced on September 8, 2020 a day before the three-year anniversary of the start of the war
[Explosions in Bamenda and Killings in Besongabang Military Base, ADF Claims Responsibility](_blank)
Cameroon Journal, Sept 13, 2017. Accessed Apr 19, 2018. and 23 days before the Ambazonian Independence Day.
The aims were stated to be to protect civilians from "terrorists" and "criminals" and restore public security in the city.
[Soldiers, Police Extort Civilians In Operation Bamenda Clean](_blank)
Cameroon News Agency, Sep 8, 2020. Accessed Sep 9, 2020. The operation was consistent with Cameroon's general military strategy of focusing on retaining control over all major urban areas in the Anglophone regions, while not trying to recapture all rural areas that had come under separatist control.
[Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis: How to Get to Talks?](_blank)
Crisis Group, May 2, 2019. Accessed May 2, 2019. As of September 2020, separatists openly controlled villages not far from Bamenda.
[I Traveled Deep Into Conflict to Bury My Grandfather. I Returned Slightly Charmed](_blank)
Fodors Travel, Sep 23, 2020. Accessed Sep 24, 2020.
Timeline of notable events
2020
*On September 10, a Cameroonian soldier was killed during clashes with separatists.
Ambazonia Defence Forces
The Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) are a military organization that fights for the independence of Ambazonia, a self-declared independent state in the Anglophone regions of the former Southern Cameroons, Cameroon. It was formally established by th ...
deputy defense chief Daniel Caapo (based in exile) responded by imploring local civilians to rise up in opposition to Operation Bamenda Clean.
*On September 14, two people were summarily executed by soldiers.
*On September 21, soldiers summarily executed five civilians in Ngongham, outside Bamenda.
[NWSW region: Gov’t Forces Kill 11 Civilians In 24 Hours](_blank)
Cameroon News Agency, Sep 22, 2020. Accessed Seo 24, 2020.
*On October 6, several teachers were abducted by alleged separatists.
*On October 16, a fire erupted in the building where the command post of the Bamenda Territorial Gendarmerie was located. According to an official statement, the cause had been an accident rather than an act by the separatists, and the fire was put out after two and a half hours.
*On November 3, Cameroon accused separatists of attacking the Longla Comprehensive College in Bamenda.
*At some point in late-December, there were armed clashes and explosions, and an eight-year-old was killed when he got caught in the crossfire between Cameroonian troops and separatist fighters.
2021
*On January 23, at least four civilians were killed in Bamenda.
*On February 1, Cameroonian soldiers "neutralized" two armed separatists in Bamenda, and captured a separatist commander known as "General Sweet Tuma".
*On February 3, three public employees were abducted by suspected separatists in Bamenda, allegedly for sealing shops whose owners respected separatist-imposed ghost towns.
![Cameroonian soldiers give interviews at Bamenda](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Cameroonian_soldiers_give_interviews_at_Bamenda.jpg)
*On February 5, Cameroonian soldiers rescued four civilian hostages from a separatist camp at Ntanka, outside Bamenda. The Cameroonian Army reported to have suffered no casualties, and claimed that four separatist fighters were killed and four captured in the fighting. One of the dead insurgents was "General Lion". One civilian was wounded during the raid.
*On February 8, two Cameroonian soldiers were killed in a separatist ambush.
[https://actucameroun.com/2021/02/09/crise-anglophone-deux-soldats-tues-a-bamenda-nord-ouest/](_blank)
Actu Cameroun, Feb 9, 2021. Accessed Feb 9, 2021. (French)
*On March 5, heavy fighting was reported in Bamenda.
*On March 10, at least two Cameroonian soldiers were killed when separatists ambushed a military control post in Bamenda. Clashes were also recorded elsewhere in the city.
*On April 4, a police officer was killed on the Bamenda-Bali road in a suspected separatist ambush.
*On April 7, the head of the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration Centre in Bamenda was abducted from his home.
*On April 18, following clashes with separatists Mile 90, Bamenda, Cameroonian soldiers entered a local bar and massacred at least five civilians.
*On April 19, separatist commander "General Cobra" and four of his fighters were captured in Bamenda.
*On April 30, there were clashes in the neighborhood of Rendezvous.
*On May 8-9, soldiers freed at least four hostages in a raid on a separatist camp in Tanka, Bamenda. Neither side suffered casualties.
*On May 26, separatist fighters shot a civilian multiple times, reportedly after he had publicly criticized their activities. He died from his wounds days later.
*On July 4, Cameroonian soldiers killed a civilian at a police control post in Below Foncha, Bamenda. The killing sparked mass protests, during which civilians destroyed the control post.
*On July 6, two separatist fighters were killed in Bamenda.
*On July 19, separatist fighters were recorded dismembering a Cameroonian soldier in Bamenda.
*On August 1, Cameroonian troops rescued a soldier from an Ambazonian detention facility, hours before his scheduled execution.
*On August 7, three civilians were killed by suspected separatists in Mile 2 Nkwen, Bamenda.
*On August 12, separatists abducted a man they accused of selling products that they had banned. The man was later killed in captivity.
*On September 11, a police officer was killed in Bamenda.
*On September 12, at least four separatist fighters were killed in Bamenda.
*On October 1, the Cameroonian Army claimed to have killed a high-ranking soldier of the Bambalang Marine Forces.
*On October 29, ADF commander "General Cross and Die" was killed in Bamenda.
*On November 15, two separatists were killed during a shootout with police forces.
*On November 19, separatists blew up a military vehicle in Bamenda with an IED, causing an unknown number of casualties. The ADF claimed responsibility.
*On December 9, separatists ambushed a BIR convoy, and the ensuing gunfight saw the deaths of four separatist fighters.
*On December 22, Cameroonian soldiers killed two civilian teenagers and injured one in Ngongham, Bamenda.
2022
*On January 11,
SDF senator Henry Kemende was killed in Bamenda. No one claimed responsibility.
*On January 28, a Cameroonian police officer was shot dead by separatist fighters in Bamenda. The ADF claimed responsibility.
*On February 25, the ADF abducted ten teachers from a school for disabled children in Ngomham, Bamenda.
* On February 26, suspected separatist fighters opened fire on a vehicle in Bamenda killing a nurse and wounding a doctor.
* On March 17, gunmen believed to be separatist fighters killed a man impersonating a fighter in Bamenda.
* On April 5, separatists attacked the
University of Bamenda for defying a
ghost town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
operation.
* On April 17, two civilians were killed following clashes between soldiers and separatists in Bamenda.
* On April 30, the ADF abducted Senator Regina Mundi of CPDM and her driver in Bamenda and asked
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. to release 75 Ambazonian prisoners.
* On May 1, unknown gunmen kidnapped a lawyer in Bamenda.
* On May 8, the Cameroonian Army killed three people including two separatists in Bamenda.
* On May 16, clashes broke out in Bamenda and lasted for at least three days.
* On May 26, a
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correspondent was kidnapped by gunmen in Bamenda.
* On June 11, a Cameroonian gendarme was killed and beheaded by separatists in Bamenda, and another one was wounded.
* On June 16, a Cameroonian gendarme was injured in a separatist attack and left to die by his attackers; he was later rescued by locals.
* On July 31, Cameroonian forces initiated a three-day, multi-front attack on the ADF in the Batibo district. Two separatist fighters known as "Colonel John" and "General Rasta" including 15 other ADF fighters were killed by the Cameroonian forces in
, and another 18 were said to have been captured. The Cameroonian Army said that eleven of its forces were injured during the operation, while the ADF claimed to have killed "at least two dozen" soldiers. Local eyewitnesses reported losses on both sides, as well as civilian deaths. The ADF confirmed the death of eleven of their men, and said that they had cancelled an offensive in Bamenda involving 300 fighters due to the losses.
* On August 5, three people were killed (possibly summarily executed) by alleged Cameroonian soldiers in Bamenda.
* On September 8, at least four soldiers were killed in a separatist attack. The Butabu Kwifor and the Mankon Warrior claimed responsibility.
* On September 9, a soldier was shot dead by separatists.
* On September 10, Cameroonian forces invaded a vicinity and burnt down houses and shops to avenge the death of their colleagues killed two days ago by separatist fighters.
*On November 5, Ambazonian soldiers shot and killed a businessman commonly known as King Boy in the Mbessi neighborhood in Bamenda.
* On January 11,
senator Henry Kemende was killed in Bamenda. No one claimed responsibility.
* On January 4, a Cameroonian gendarme was killed by separatist fighters. The ADF claimed responsibility.
In late-September, the Cameroon Bar Association accused the army of extorsion and intimidation of civilians, arbitrary arrests, assault, torture, and denying detained persons access to lawyers.
Similar concerns were voiced by locals on the same day as the operation started.
Brig. Gen. Valere Nka denied the accusations and said that the army respected human rights.