Operation Free Bafut

Last updated
Operation Free Bafut
Part of the Anglophone Crisis
Bafut - NorthWest Region - Cameroon.png
View of the village of Bafut
Date26 April May 1, 2020 [1]
Location
Result Armed separatists weakened [2] but not expelled entirely from Bafut [3]
Belligerents
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Flag of the Federal Republic of Southern Cameroons.svg  Ambazonia
Commanders and leaders
Col. Alain Charles Matiang [1] General Peace Plant  [1]
General Alhaji  [1]
Units involved
Rapid Intervention Battalion
501st Airforce Base [4]
Motorized Infantry Brigade [4]
Seven Karta
Strength
More than 300 soldiers [2] Unknown
Casualties and losses
None dead, some wounded
(Cameroonian claim) [5]
Unknown number dead or wounded
(separatist claim) [5]
15 dead
(Cameroonian claim, confirmed by separatists) [1]
13 civilians dead (according to locals) [5]
No civilian casualties (Cameroonian claim) [5]

Operation Free Bafut was a week-long Cameroonian military operation against the Seven Karta militia in and around Bafut that resulted in the deaths of two separatist generals. [1]

Contents

Background

Following the beginning of an armed rebellion in the Anglophone areas of Cameroon, Bafut quickly became a battleground between separatist forces and the Cameroonian military. Local taxi operators who lost their livelihood due to the conflict organized the "Seven Karta" militia around 2017/18, and occupied parts of the region. [6] Government troops raided the Bafut Royal Palace at least twice in 2018 and 2019, both times claiming to search for armed separatists. Though no rebels were found in either raid, the soldiers used the occasions to burn part of the palace, loot its museum, and injured the Fon's brother. [7]

Battle

The operation was launched on April 26, with the official aim of expelling the Seven Karta militia from Bafut. The operation involved more than 300 soldiers, and consisted of a series of raids on separatist camps. Throughout the first day of the operation, several people were arrested while one civilian was killed. [8] One of the main aims of the operation was to secure Saddle Ranch hotel, a tourist site which armed separatists had turned into a base. [1] The operation also involved a raid inside the palace of the Fon of Bafut. [9] Separatists claimed that the palace was damaged during the operation, though the Cameroonian military denied these charges. [1] [4]

On May 1, the Cameroonian Army announced the deaths of two separatist generals known as General Peace Plant and General Alhaji. [2] The Cameroonian Army also captured weapons, ammunition, six motorbikes, a vehicle and two horses from the separatists. [1]

Casualties

The Cameroonian Army claimed that no civilians had been killed during the fighting. This was disputed by local villagers, who claimed that 13 civilians had died. The Cameroonian Army announced that it had killed 15 separatists, including the two generals; this was not disputed by the separatists, who in turn claimed to have inflicted losses on the Cameroonian Army. Cameroon claimed that only a few of its soldiers had been wounded. [5]

Aftermath

Operation Free Bafut succeeded in weakening the separatists in the area, but did not spell a definite end of separatist activity in Bafut. In November, Cameroonian soldiers re-invaded the town and burned down several houses. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambazonia</span> Political entity proclaimed by Cameroons Anglophone separatists

Ambazonia, alternatively the Federal Republic of Ambazonia or State of Ambazonia, is a political entity proclaimed by Anglophone separatists who are seeking independence from Cameroon. The separatists claim that Ambazonia should consist of the Northwest Region and Southwest Region of Cameroon. Since 2017, Ambazonian rebels have engaged in armed conflict with the Cameroonian military, in what is known as the Anglophone Crisis, and have attempted to set up governments-in-exile, and supportive militias have exerted control over parts of the claimed territory. No country has recognized Ambazonia's existence as of 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglophone Crisis</span> 2017–present separatist conflict in Cameroon

The Anglophone Crisis, also known as the Ambazonia War, is an ongoing armed conflict in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, between the Cameroonian government and Ambazonian separatist groups, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. Following the suppression of 2016–17 protests by Cameroonian authorities, separatists in the Anglophone regions launched a guerrilla campaign and later proclaimed independence. Within two months, the government of Cameroon declared war on the separatists and sent its army into the Anglophone regions.

The Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) are a military organization that fights for the independence of Ambazonia, a self-declared independent state in the Anglophone regions of the former Southern Cameroons, Cameroon. It was formally established by the Ambazonia Governing Council (AGovC) on 9 September 2017, the same day as the organization declared a war of independence.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2018.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Cameroons Defence Forces</span>

The Southern Cameroons Defence Forces is the armed wing of the African People's Liberation Movement, an Ambazonian separatist movement. It is led by Ebenezer Akwanga, who is based in the United States, Together with the Ambazonia Defence Forces, it was one of the most prominent militias fighting in the early Anglophone Crisis. It is mainly active in Meme and Fako.

The Ambazonia Self-Defence Council (ASC), also known as Ambazonia Military Council (AMC), Ambazonia Military Forces (AMF), and Ambazonia Restoration Forces (ARF), is an umbrella organization that consists of several militants that fight for the independence of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia, including the Red Dragons, the Tigers of Ambazonia, Seven Karta, the Manyu Ghost Warriors, the Ambazonia Restoration Army, the Southern Cameroons Defence Forces, the Bui Warriors, General No Pity's forces, and numerous others. Collectively, these militias possibly outsize the Ambazonia Defence Forces and SOCADEF.

Seven Karta is an Ambazonian separatist militia that is part of the Ambazonia Self-Defence Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lekeaka Oliver</span> Ambazonian separatist commander (1968–2022)

Lekeaka Oliver, popularly known as Field Marshall, was a Cameroonian army soldier and later an Ambazonian separatist commander and the leader of the Red Dragon militia. His armed group is part of the loosely-structured Ambazonia Self-Defence Council, and is loyal to the Interim Government of Ambazonia. The Red Dragon is mainly active in Lebialem Division, Southwest Region. Oliver was the brother of Chris Anu, former Secretary for Communications of the Interim Government. Throughout his time as a separatist leader, Cameroonian forces erroneously reported that he had been killed three times. He was killed on 12 July 2022, though it remains unclear whether he was killed by Cameroonian forces or in an incident of separatist infighting.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ngarbuh massacre</span> 2020 attack in Cameroon

The Ngarbuh massacre took place in northwestern Cameroon on 14 February 2020 during the Anglophone Crisis, and resulted in the murder of 21 civilians, including 13 children, by Cameroonian soldiers and armed Fulani militia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bamenda Clean</span> Part of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon

Operation Bamenda Clean is an ongoing Cameroonian special counter-insurgency operation in Bamenda, Northwest Region, aimed at preventing armed Ambazonian separatists from operating in the city. By January 2021, Cameroon was gradually achieving what a security analyst at the University of Yaoundé called "relative peace" in Bamenda, and the mayor of the city stated that the operation was succeeding. However, as of March 2021, separatist-imposed ghost towns remained widely respected by the local population, and separatists controlled most roads leading in and out of Bamenda.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis during 2021.

The Anglophone Crisis is an ongoing armed conflict in the Republic of Cameroon in Central Africa, where historically English-speaking Ambazonian separatists are seeking the independence of the former British trust territory of Southern Cameroons, which was unified with Cameroon since 1961.

Clement Mbashie, better known by his nom de guerre "General No Pity", is an Ambazonian separatist who commands several militant groups, most importantly the Bambalang Marine Forces and Bui Unity Warriors, in the Anglophone Crisis.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bui Clean</span>

Operation Bui Clean, also called Operation Kumbo Clean or Operation Clean Kumbo, was a military offensive conducted by the Cameroon Armed Forces against Ambazonian separatists in Cameroon's Northwest Region from May to June 2021. The operation took place in the context of the Anglophone Crisis.

This is a timeline of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon during 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Cameroon:Two Ambazonia ‘Generals’ killed after military raid in Bafut, Journal du Cameroun, May 4, 2020. Accessed May 4, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Military Launches Operation Free Bafut, Bamenda Online, May 1, 2020. Accessed May 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Twitter, Cameroon News Agency, Nov 2, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Cameroon: North West - Defence Forces Destroy Armed Fighters Camp in Bafut". AllAfrica. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Cameroon Military Denies Civilian Deaths in ‘Successful’ Raids on Rebels, Voice of America, May 4, 2020. Accessed May 7, 2020.
  6. Cameroon's Anglophone crisis: Red Dragons and Tigers - the rebels fighting for independence, BBC, Oct 4, 2018. Accessed Mar 13, 2019.
  7. Ilaria Allegrozzi (11 October 2019). "World Heritage Site Attacked in Cameroon". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  8. Cameroon: One killed in military raid in North West region, Journal du Cameroun, Apr 27, 2020. Accessed Apr 27, 2020.
  9. Twitter, Cameroon News Agency, Apr 29, 2020.