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Africa

Teens killed in army raids were terrorists, Cameroon says

Cameroon’s defence ministry says four teenagers killed in Bamenda, the capital of the Anglophone North-West region, were terrorists who were preparing to attack army positions.

But shocked family members and residents of the city are adamant that the young men were unarmed and posed no threat when they were shot dead on Sunday.

Abdul Karim, a Muslim scholar and uncle to one of the dead men, said neighbours heard the children begging for their lives saying they were students, and offering themselves for arrest.

Army spokesman Col Cyrille Serge Atonfack said soldiers stormed a dilapidated building where the men were consuming hard drugs, and they were shot at. The soldiers then returned fire killing them and wounding others who fled, according to the army spokesman.

Several guns were retrieved from the scene, he said, describing it as a temporary holding site for hostages.

A number of Bamenda residents protested earlier this week, carrying a casket of one of the victims during the protest on Tuesday.

“These killings are pure terror,” said an uncle of one of the victims, who wanted to remain anonymous for safety reasons.

Human rights activist Fru Awah called the killings “unconscionable”.

Two weeks ago, 10 people were killed in another army operation – they were mostly young men, children and women.

The government has been battling separatist fighters since 2016 in the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions. (BBC)

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