Amnesty Int’l Tells Cameroon Gov’t to Produce 130 Missing Boko Haram Suspects

 

Amnesty International has called on the Government of Cameroon to produce some Boko Haram suspects declared missing, insisting that authorities in the country must provide answers about the whereabouts of the 130 men and boys.

Officials of Amnesty International say the men and boys remain unaccounted for 20 months after they were arrested in a crackdown on suspected Boko Haram members.

In a statement obtained Tuesday August 30 – International Day of the Disappeared – Alioune Tine, Amnesty International West and Central Africa Regional Director, said “Cameroonian authorities must come clean about the fate of these 130 missing men and boys. The Government’s continued failure to reveal their whereabouts adds insult to injury to the families who have already waited a long time for news of their loved ones.

“The country must stop using its fight against Boko Haram to justify its blatant violations of human rights.”

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Going by an Amnesty International report, the missing people were among more than 200 arrested during a cordon-and-search operation in the villages of Magdeme and Doublé in the Far North region on December 27, 2014. “Of those arrested, at least 25 died in custody on the night of the arrests, with another 45 transferred to Maroua prison the day after. Three have died since due to dire conditions in detention.”

                                                               The Cameroon Journal independently learned Cameroon security forces also unlawfully killed at least nine civilians, including a child, and destroyed more than 70 homes and other buildings.
To Amnesty International, the 130 people, who were arrested and are still missing, are victims of enforced disappearance; a crime punishable under international law.
The London-based group is urging the government of Cameroon to immediately disclose their whereabouts ensure independent, thorough and effective investigations into these disappearances and bring those responsible to justice in fair trials without recourse to the death penalty.
Amnesty International disclosed that it had communicated a complete list of the names of all those who disappeared to Cameroon’s Minister of Defense, Minister of Justice and the head of military operations in the north. But, families of those who disappeared have still received no information from officials.
 “The authorities must conduct a thorough and impartial investigation into what happened in Magdeme and Doublé, and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. They must also provide full and effective reparation to the families of the victims,” said Alioune Tine.
The Government of Cameroon is yet to officially react to the demand by Amnesty International.

                                                                                     SOURCE: The Cameroon Daily Journal