A deadly attack shook Buea Monday night when gunmen opened fire near the shopping mall, killing one civilian and wounding two others in another outbreak of violence.
The shooting happened on Monday, June 24, where armed men dressed in military uniforms stopped vehicles near the busy shopping area. Witnesses said the attackers first appeared to be government soldiers before they started shooting and setting cars on fire. A local fuel trader died when his taxi was burned with him inside. Three passengers traveling with the driver managed to escape unharmed. Another driver survived after being shot and escaping his burning vehicle. A motorcycle rider was also shot but lived through the attack.
By the time the attack was ending, four cars and one motorcycle had been completely burned down. The dead man was quickly buried in his home village while doctors worked to save the wounded ones. The attack has left many frightened residents. This, residents say, is due to the fact that the part of Buea where the incident happened had been peaceful for months, leading to many with the thought that the fighting had stopped, but this attack proves the danger remains.
Police have sent more officers to patrol the area, but no one is suspected yet. This latest bloodshed shows how civilians continue to suffer in Cameroon’s troubled English-speaking regions, where violence keeps happening despite promises of peace, according to locals. The attack has left families grieving and neighborhoods on edge, wondering when the next violence might come.
