Anglophone Crisis: Police declare Chenwi Bertrand wanted over school disruption

Police in Bamenda the chief town of  North West Region  are currently searching for Chenwi Bertrand  a Physics teacher at St Albert comprehensive high school Bafut for allegedly preventing students from attending classes in protest for the  release of colleagues held under detention since the outbreak of the Anglophone crisis in October 2016.

TCR gathered that Chenwi Bertrand has been an underground advocate for the reforms of the English speaking subsystem of education in Cameroon and was at the forefront of the teacher strike that started in 2016.  

Police are accusing Bertrand for refusing to teach and calling on students to boycott classes until his colleagues and other Anglophones arrested and held under detention as a result of the ongoing Anglophone crisis are released a crime if caught, he could be charge with terrorism and public disorder.    

TCR contacted the commissioner of the Bamenda Judicial police, commissioner Ade Francis but he refuse commenting on the story claiming the situation was still under investigation and not yet a subject for public consumption or debate.

TCR Visited St Albert comprehensive college to get details from the principal but the principal referred us to the vice principal who said Bertrand obtained permission from school on the  29th of March and was supposed to be back on the 23rd of April but since then he has not resume teaching. The VP described him as a committed activist of the Anglophone cause. “He has been refusing to teach since some teachers decided to call off the strike in 2017, he is saying that it is unfair for them to go on with classes when some of their colleagues are under detention and very little reforms have also been done concerning the English system of education by the Government” the VP said. Ask if he is aware of the whereabouts of Bertrand, the VP said “No” but added that he has gotten information from family members that police have been coming to their house in search for him but family members themselves are not aware of his whereabouts.

When TCR contacted his sister Melvis Manka on phone she instead burst into tears asking this reporter if he has gotten any information about her brother. “Since May 8th 2018 we have not set our eyes on Bertrand and his numbers are not going through we have visited almost all the police stations but no information has been given to us instead police are claiming that they are equally searching for him and have threaten to arrest me if  I don’t provide information on his  where about of which I don’t know where he is” Melvis Manka said, she added that she too has escaped to Douala where she is seeking refuge with a friend as a result of continues police threat on their family. 

The whereabouts of Bertrand remain unknown it is not clear if he has escaped from the country as has been the case of other activists or he has been secretly executed by security officers.

 It should be recalled that since separatist leaders were arrested from Neral Hotel in Nigeria and held incommunicado, the Anglophone crisis has gone deadly as arm groups emerge from different corners of the 2 English speaking regions and carry out attacks on security officers and institutions that refuse to obey ghost towns as well as schools. TCR gathered that amongst the leaders that were arrested in Nigeria on January 5^th 2018 is an uncle to Bertrand whose names we got as Fidelise Nde Che reason why the family has been under serious police surveillance since Bertrand was declared wanted and the uncle arrested in Nigerian. As of the time of this report TCR is unable to confirm if Bertrand is dead, alive or has escape to a neighboring country.

Thousands of Anglophones both students, teachers and activists are currently held under detention and on  November 5^th 2017 president Paul Biya declared war on Anglophone separatist after 4 security officers were killed in Mamfe and in Bamenda.      

FM Hans