More Deaths, Injuries in Ongoing Cameroon Separatist Conflict

The Cameroon military said on August 2, 2022 that 17 separatist fighters were killed in three days of fighting in the town of Batibo. It said that an additional 18 fighters were captured in Bambui, Batibo and Noni, all towns in the northwest region. The military also said it destroyed or seized weapons, locally made explosive devices and several dozen motorcycles used by the separatists to attack government troops.

There has been conflicting reports on injuries and deaths in separatist and government troops camps - separatist groups are claiming that at least two dozen government troops were killed in the Batibo confrontation, while the army is denying any troops were killed, and said that a few soldiers sustained minor injuries.

Cameroon government officials in the northwest region are calling for calm and asking civilians to collaborate with the military by reporting suspected fighters in their towns and villages. The military says it will protect all civilians and their goods.

Armed groups have been fighting since 2017 to separate two English-speaking regions of Cameroon from the country and its French-speaking majority. The UN has said the conflict has killed more than 3,000 people and displaced more than a half-million.