Fulani and Military Kill 4, Burn Down 32 Houses and Render over 50 Families Homeless in Wum
The latest humanitarian emergency resulting from the long-drawn out armed conflict in the English-speaking parts of Cameroon happened in Wum between Monday and Tuesday October 18 and 19, 2021.
DHPI was reliably informed by sources who opted for anonymity that a member of the armed forces was killed in a gun fight between the state military and the ARFs on Monday. The military reacted by burning down houses in the neighborhood of Wanangwen, the area where the soldier was gunned down.
The Fulani community, which makes up a very considerable part of the total population of Wum was drawn into the fray because the soldier who was killed was Fulani from the North region of Cameroon and because he had a Fulani lady from Wum as his girlfriend. It is due to these factors that the situation suddenly turned tribal as the Fulanis armed with daggers and machetes marched to other parts of the town and looted homes and business premises before burning down some of these.
According to a reliable source who still opted for anonymity that the Fulani went specifically to areas where the indigenous people of Wum are found, looting homes, businesses and then burning down houses. The town of Wum being the administrative headquarter of Menchum Division people from other parts of the country who are either teachers, business people or civil servants. However, the Fulanis carefully avoided the communities of mixed people and went for the indigenes of the Aghem tribe of Wum.
A total of 5 people were killed in this incident, including the military officer. The most disturbing of them was an elderly man who was lacerated on different parts of his body before being left to be consumed by the fire that burnt down his house.
Over 30 homes were razed to the ground between Monday and Tuesday with over 50 families rendered homeless. Most people fled into the bushes, with some families taking refuge in the palace of the traditional ruler of Wum, Holy Trinity and Saint Martin de Porres Parishes respectively. Scores of people were arrested as well.
This is not the first time the government is using the Fulanis as a sub force in the armed conflict. From February to March this year, the Fulanis went on rampage in Nwa Subdivision of Donga/Mantung Division of the Northwest, killing, looting and burning down homes, which led to the displacement of over 6000 people with about 1000 still in the bushes right now. In 2019 the same Fulani community of Wum decimated an entire village called Buh in Wum Subdivision, burning down among other houses, the entire palace of Buh, killing the traditional Ruler and other members of the royal family.
See below pictures of the destruction:
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