Rare prison sentences handed to Cameroon soldiers after killing of 21 civilians

Three Cameroonian soldiers have been sentenced to prison for their role in the killing of at least 21 civilians in the country’s troubled Anglophone region. The jail terms for the crimes, which took place six years ago in the Northwest region, range from five to 10 years per person. A military court previously found the soldiers guilty of murder, arson and destruction – a rare occurrence in a country where military personnel are seldom convicted of crimes against civilians.

Nevertheless, lawyers for the victims told the BBC they were disappointed with the length of the jail terms handed down on Thursday, calling them “insignificant”. The convictions centre on the events of 14 February 2020, when soldiers, supported by a local militia of ethnic Fulanis, raided the village of Ngarbuh and killed civilians. The victims included 13 children, according to Human Rights Watch, who added that the assailants burnt down homes and beat up residents.

What followed was a rare instance of Cameroon’s government acknowledging the atrocities of its soldiers in the Anglophone regions, which have been wracked by a separatist conflict for nearly 10 years. The authorities initially denied responsibility for the attack on Ngarbuh but later backpedalled following international pressure and the findings of an investigation ordered by the country’s President, Paul Biya. Alongside the three soldiers sentenced on Thursday evening, a militia member also received a jail term for murder, arson and destruction. One of the victims’ lawyers, Sother Menkem, told the BBC: “The sentence was so mild, I even qualify it as friendly because we are talking of a massacre.”