Attackers armed with rifles and machetes stormed a school in the town of Kumba, in the English-speaking region of Cameroon. At least eight children have lost their lives while several others have been injured.
The United Nations has announced terrible news. At least eight children were killed and a dozen others were injured after attackers stormed a school in southwest Cameroon with rifles and machetes. This Saturday, October 24, men on motorcycles and in civilian clothes attacked the Mother Francisca International Bilingual Academy college, in the town of Kumba, in the south-west of the country. "At least eight children have been killed as a result of gunfire and machete attacks. Twelve other people were injured and taken to local hospitals ", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, described by the UN as "the worst atrocity"since the start of the school year which took place earlier this month.
It could be that this attack was linked to continued fighting between government forces and armed groups in the English-speaking West seeking to form a separatist state, but for now, this hypothesis has yet to be proven.
Some children were reportedly injured jumping from second floor windows. "They found the children in the classroom and opened fire on them", said the sub-prefect of the city, Ali Anougou, to Reuters. "How many more deaths do it take for a political solution to bring peace to NOSO (North West and South West, the two English-speaking regions)?", reacted Maurice Kamto, the opposition leader.
For nearly three years, separatist groups and the army have been clashing in these two regions, home to the English-speaking minority which considers itself marginalized by the country's French-speaking majority.
Isabel Dione entered school looking for her 12-year-old daughter when she heard about the shooting. She found her injured on the floor of a classroom. "She was helpless and she was screaming 'mom please help me, and I said to her' only your God can save you now" https://www.aufeminin.com/ ", the mom told Reuters. The girl was rushed to hospital where she is being treated for a gunshot wound.
"I am shocked and outraged by the murder of innocent schoolchildren (who) were attending school for an education.", said Matthias Z Naab, UN Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon. "Children have the right to education. Violence against innocent schools and schoolchildren is by no means acceptable and may constitute a crime against humanity if proven in court. I call on the relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this tragedy ", he added.
For his part, Moussa Faki Mahamat, president of the Commission of the African Union confided that"There are no words of grief or condemnation strong enough to express my horror at the brutal attack on elementary school children …"
This is not the first time that young children have been targeted in the country. Authorities last year accused separatists of abducting dozens of schoolchildren, charges they denied.