Egbekaw massacre
{{Short description|Separatist mass murder in Cameroon}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Egbekaw massacre
| location = Egbekaw, Mamfe, Manyu, Southwest Cameroon
| date = 6 November 2023
| type = Arson, mass shooting
| fatalities = 30+
| injuries = Many
| perpetrator = {{flagdeco|Ambazonia}} Tigers of Ambazonia
| motive = Reprisal attack for the death of an Ambazonian separatist the day prior
}}
{{Campaignbox Anglophone Crisis}}
On 6 November 2023, the Tigers of Ambazonia (also called "Tigers of Manyu") carried out a massacre in Egbekaw, Mamfe, Southwest Region, Cameroon.[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/6/anglophone-separatist-gunmen-kill-20-in-camerooons-south-west-region Separatist gunmen kill at least 20 in Cameroon]{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Over thirty people were killed, mostly Boki residents.
Background
Anglophone separatists say they are being discriminated against. They want a separate Anglophone state which they call Ambazonia. In 2016, they protested and rioted. In 2017, they began an insurgency in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. On 4 October, two civilians were extrajudicially killed by the Ambazonia Defence Forces, who said that the civilians were Cameroonian spies.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-06 |title=Cameroun : au moins 20 morts dans une attaque de séparatistes anglophones |url=https://www.voaafrique.com/a/cameroun-au-moins-20-morts-dans-une-attaque-de-s%C3%A9paratistes-anglophones/7343320.html |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Voice of America |language=fr |archive-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106203541/https://www.voaafrique.com/a/cameroun-au-moins-20-morts-dans-une-attaque-de-s%C3%A9paratistes-anglophones/7343320.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=2023-10-06 |title=The unlawful killings of two Cameroonian people by separatists must not go unpunished |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/cameroon-the-unlawful-killings-of-two-people-by-separatists-must-not-go-unpunished/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Amnesty International |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106203542/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/10/cameroon-the-unlawful-killings-of-two-people-by-separatists-must-not-go-unpunished/ |url-status=live }}
The Boki community in Egbekaw allegedly hired Nigerian mercenaries to hunt down Ambazonian separatists, the local group being Tigers of Ambazonia, and the mercenaries killed one separatist in Egbekaw on 5 November.{{Cite web |title=Manyu: More than 30 die in Amba attack |url=https://cameroonnewsagency.com/manyu-more-than-30-die-in-amba-attack/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=Cameroon News Agency |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-05-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523001241/https://cameroonnewsagency.com/manyu-more-than-30-die-in-amba-attack/ |url-status=live }} The Tigers vowed revenge on the Boki community in Egbekaw, warning non-Boki villagers to expel Boki residents.
In Egbekaw, celebrations were planned for Paul Biya's 41st anniversary ruling the country. Several senior politicians of Manyu Department were expected to be in attendance.
Massacre
Before dawn on 6 November 2023, the Tigers attacked Egbekaw. Residents stated that the separatists attacked the village around 4am local time, firing on sleeping villagers and torching houses.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-06 |title=About 20 killed in Cameroon separatist attack |url=https://www.enca.com/news/about-20-killed-cameroon-separatist-attack |access-date=2023-11-06 |website=www.enca.com |language=en |archive-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106183920/https://www.enca.com/news/about-20-killed-cameroon-separatist-attack |url-status=live }} At least 30 people were killed in the attack, and many more were seriously injured.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-06 |title=Statement on the Killings and Burnings in Egbekaw Village; Mamfe Central, Manyu Division South West Region |website=Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa |url=https://www.chrda.org/statement-on-the-killings-and-burnings-in-egbekaw-village-mamfe-central-sub-division-manyu-division-south-west-region/ |access-date=2023-11-06 |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106210546/https://www.chrda.org/statement-on-the-killings-and-burnings-in-egbekaw-village-mamfe-central-sub-division-manyu-division-south-west-region/ |url-status=live }} The Tigers also targeted specific houses where they knew Boki residents resided. By the evening of 6 November many of the burnt bodies were still being counted.
See also
References
{{coord|5|45|46|N|9|18|29|E|type:event_region:CM|display=title}}
Category:2023 murders in Cameroon
Category:21st-century mass murder in Cameroon
Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2023
Category:Deaths by firearm in Cameroon
Category:Massacres in Cameroon
Category:November 2023 crimes in Africa
Category:Southwest Region (Cameroon)
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