The deputy mayor of a city in Cameroon’s English-speaking north was found dead Monday, two days after being abducted from her home by armed assailants, according to Cameroon state radio CRTV. Her body was discovered in a pool of blood, the broadcaster reported, citing local authorities.
Her children reportedly witnessed the abduction, according to a local human rights group. In a related incident, English-speaking journalist Atia Tilarious Azonhw was also abducted in Bamenda last Friday, with no updates on his whereabouts since.
Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon’s anglophone Northwest Region, has suffered frequent kidnappings and killings linked to separatist violence, which erupted in 2016. Separatists frequently target civil servants and local officials, accusing them of collaborating with the French-speaking central government.
The unrest began in 2016 after President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for over four decades, responded with force to peaceful protests in English-speaking regions. Many anglophone Cameroonians feel sidelined by the government. Since the conflict began, at least 6,000 civilians have been killed by both government forces and separatist fighters, Human Rights Watch reports.
