A journalist has been shot dead in the northwestern region of Cameroon, affected by the conflict between separatists and the army, according to Amnesty International (AI), which called for an “impartial” investigation into the facts.
“We are appealing to the authorities [dos Camarões] to conduct an effective, independent and impartial investigation into the death of Anye Nde Nsoh, a journalist shot dead on May 7 in Bamenda, Northwest region,” the non-governmental organization (NGO) for the defense said. of human rights Amnesty International on Twitter.
The local press reports that the journalist, regional editor of the weekly magazine The Advocate and employee of several radio stations, was killed by gunmen on Sunday evening when he was in a bar.
The news came more than three months after the murder of another journalist, Martinez Zogo, an announcer for Amplitude FM radio, whose lifeless and mutilated body was found on January 22 after being kidnapped five days earlier in the Cameroonian capital of Yaoundé.
Zogo had reported a case of alleged embezzlement involving businessman Jean-Pierre Amougou Belinga, owner of several media outlets and reportedly close to Cameroon’s finance minister, the organization Reporters Without Borders reported at the time.
Although Cameroon has a long list of media outlets and press freedom in the country has slightly improved in recent years, the work of journalists remains very risky.
The northwestern and southwestern regions of the country are the scene of conflict between armed groups demanding the independence of a state they call Ambazonia and security forces deployed by the government of President Paul Biya, 89, who rules Cameroon with an ironclad fist. 40 years.
Part of the English-speaking population feels excluded by the French-speaking population. Since the end of 2016, the conflict has killed more than 6,000 people and forced more than a million people to flee their homes, according to the NGO International Crisis Group (ICG).
The rebels, the army and the police are regularly accused by international NGOs and the UN of abuses and crimes against the civilian population.
Source: DN
