HRW denounces the detention “in deplorable conditions” of Cameroonian humanitarian activist Abdul Karim Ali

Aug. 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The humanitarian organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) has denounced that the Anglophone Cameroonian activist Abdul Karim Ali is once again detained by the authorities in what the NGO has denounced as a “kidnapping”, as part of the campaign of abuses by the which has blamed the country’s military in its fight against separatism in majority English-speaking regions.

According to the NGO, Ali was “kidnapped” on August 11 in the Ntamulung neighborhood of Bamenda, Northwest region. His wife did not receive permission to see him until two days later, in a situation reminiscent of his previous detention in September 2019 when, according to Human Rights Watch, he spent five days without access to a lawyer.

Ali’s lawyers have told Human Rights Watch that he was interrogated in his absence, in violation of Cameroonian law. Although there are no official charges against Ali, he has been told that he is accused of “advocacy of terrorism” for having a video on his phone showing alleged human rights abuses committed by a Cameroonian soldier against civilians in English-speaking regions. from the country.

“Alí’s lawyers have assured that he is detained in deplorable conditions, in a cell of six square meters without windows, toilet or mattresses, and shares the cell with 12 other detainees,” says the NGO.

Last week, HRW accused the Cameroonian military of the summary execution of a dozen people during its operations against the insurgency in the separatist region of Northwest between April 24 and June 12.

The organization’s report also accused the military of a whole spectrum of abuses: it blamed them for burning down a dozen homes, looting medical centers, arbitrarily detaining at least 26 people, and participating in the forced disappearance of up to 17 others.

All this during the military operations against the independence groups of the two English-speaking regions of Cameroon, Northwest and Southwest, which in turn have also been accused by the organization of serious abuses committed during the same period, including murders and kidnappings of civilians. and attacks on students, teachers, and schools.

The violence has caused some 6,000 deaths, almost 600,000 people internally displaced within and neighboring Anglophone regions, and more than 77,000 people have been forced to become refugees in Nigeria. It is, according to the United Nations, one of the most forgotten crises in the world.