BY CYNTHIA BIH
Security forces have intensified operations in the South West Region to arrest civilians accused of supporting separatist fighters as the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon enters its 10th year.
THE SUN learned that a recent search and arrest warrant issued by authorities of the Kumba Legal Department named several civilians, including Njea Lioni Elingo of Kumba, chief town of Meme Division. She is now on the run after she reportedly escaped from military custody following a sporadic gun exchange with separatists.
Family sources say her whereabouts has remained unknown since the escape.
Tension peaked in early January 2026 when elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, known its French acronym, BIR, arrested Njea Lioni Elingo in Small Ekome village, Mbonge Subdivision in Meme Division, and took her to their barracks.
Reports say she was accused of supplying drugs, foodstuff, and drinks to separatist fighters. Njea was allegedly tortured and ordered to lead soldiers to a separatist hideout.
THE SUN gathered that on the way to the raid, the military convoy with Njea was ambushed in a sporadic gun exchange with fighters of the “Meme/Fako Mountain Lions”.
Family members say many others have fled major towns in the two restive regions out of fear for their lives, questioning whether the military operation is genuine or a case of score-settling.
Under the Cameroon Penal Code, suspects arrested for acts of insurrection, hostilities against the state, or failure to report face life imprisonment.
Contacted, a senior security official in Meme said operations are “intelligence-led actions aimed at neutralising armed groups and restoring order”.
“We act within the law to protect civilians. Anyone with information should collaborate with authorities,” the official added, noting ongoing DDR and humanitarian programmes.
What started in 2016 as protests by teachers and lawyers has become one of Africa’s most overlooked crises. Amnesty International, the International Crisis Group and other rights groups estimate 4,000 people killed, 500,000 internally displaced, 40,000 refugees, and 700,000 children out of school.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, says 1.3 million people in the Anglophone regions need urgent humanitarian aid.
Human rights organisations have raised concerns over arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and extrajudicial killings in the two regions.
As the hunt for Njea Lioni Elingo continues, families and civil society groups are calling for due process and an end to civilian targeting. For many, the crisis remains “stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea”.
