When English-speaking civilians began protesting discriminatory government policies in 2016, government security forces cracked down violently. Now, Cameroon's security forces and armed separatist groups from the English-speaking population are fighting. In a crisis that began over linguistic and cultural rights and identity, each side is targeting civilians it perceives as disloyal. With more than 4,000 people killed and over 765,000 forced to leave their homes, civilians in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions are at immediate risk of mass atrocities. Meanwhile, in Cameroon’s Far North region, civilians are being targeted in a conflict between Boko Haram insurgents and state security forces. Available in French (Disponible en français.)
This policy brief provides an overview of the risks of mass atrocities in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions and provides recommendations to the Cameroonian government, armed separatist groups, and international actors to prevent atrocities and protect civilians.
Our Early Warning Project estimates the risk of a new mass killing in Cameroon over the next year.
Learn more about the history of the crisis and current threats of mass atrocities to civilians.
This downloadable flyer provides background information about the conflict between English-speaking and French-speaking citizens in Cameroon, where attacks by both government security forces and separatists groups may amount to crimes against humanity.