Operation Bamenda clean: Residents share tori of 'wickedness' as Cameroon army begin mop-up separatists
Cameroon army don announce say dem wan clean Bamenda of separatists activities, wit 'Bamenda Clean' operation, but some kontri pipo di fear say de operation na for harass dem more, take moni.
We di fear dis operation because e go give army pawa for harass we more, Mirabel Atuh for Ntamulung quarter tell BBC Pidgin. 'Ah di still shake wen ah mimba how army break enta ma house. Ah bi dey wit ma 25 years boy pikin weh e get 'slow brain'. "We just hear big noise as door broke, five army enta house wit guns, di ask wusai we hide separatists, search de house, say make ma boy komot. Ah try for explain say na pikin weh e no well and e no di komot for house, beg sotei but deh say if ah no pay deh go take yi", Mirable tori. Ah give dem de only moni weh ah bi get for house, FCFA 10000 ($20) before deh lef de boy, Mirabel add. Ma neighbours di complain say wen army arrest any pesin, for dia station na different charge -'terrorist', Mirabel add. Bamenda street empty as separatists issue warning 'Fear to komot' Laik Mirabel, James Ngong, taxi driver for Bamenda tell BBC say e just dey na inside house di fear komot. "Na army man ask me why ah di work wen separatists don warn taxi for stop, den take money, beat and insult me, Ngong tok. Just now, ah no bi able for play njangi, FCFA 20000 ($40), no chop for house, de situation di worry plenti. Operation Bamenda Clean di kam for taim weh City Mayor and SDO for Mezam don ban motorcycle for Bamenda I, II and III. Separatist also warn taxi driver dem for stop work. Some pipo di waka for street as motorcycle and motor no dey 'Bamenda Clean operation na to stop separatists' General Nka Valere, head of army operation for Northwest region explain say de population dey at de centre of Bamenda Clean operation. "De operation weh di just di reinforce weh we don di do before, na for stop kidnappings from separatists and stealing, tiefs weh deh steal for banks, break shops, di kill civilians and goment forces", Valere Nka tok. Separatists di use motorcycles for hit and run operations and na why di top command order dis operation weh e go clean de town of separatists weh deh di kan hide inside. Nka Valere say brutality no dey and make population no fear. "We work na for protect population". "Respect for human rights and correct behaviour, na every day we di tell army, and population di cooperate wit us". Tins di move for de right direction and army di claim gains as deh kill famous separatist Fonteh, weh e don rape woman dem kill pipo for Bamenda. Dis operation di kam for taim weh James Risch lead US senate committee on foreign relations call on goment and separatists for stop violence, respect human rights, stop de fight. Anglophone crisis di enta number four years for 1 October and army wan clean de town for stop activities for separatists. Since 2016, na de population di suffer for tight corner wit arm for one side and separatist for anoda. More dan 3000 pipo don die.