Armed groups are committing abuses in English-speaking regions of Cameroon, rights group says

By ZANE IRWIN
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A human rights group says the army, separatists and militias are committing abuses against civilians in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon. A report by Amnesty International says the abuses include extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and torture. An armed conflict known as the Anglophone crisis began in 2016, when English-speaking teachers and lawyers organized protests against professional and political marginalization by the majority French-speaking government. Following a crackdown on the peaceful protests, armed rebel groups mobilized and vowed to fight for the independence of the Anglophone areas. Thousands of civilians are estimated to have died in ensuing clashes with the Cameroonian military.