Soldiers neutralise five “dangerous terrorists" in Akwaya.

Per a release issued Thursday by the Communication Division of the Ministry of Defence, MINDEF, the “terrorists” were “neutralised” during “major combing operation,” carried out at the junction villages of Batanga and Asaka, last July 17, 2026. 

The release, signed by the Head of the Communication Division at MINDEF, Navy Captain Atonfack Guemo Cyrille Serge, detailed that the military nipped in the bud a planned attack in the administrative unit, based on intelligence provided by the local population. 

The operation was aimed at neutralising dangerous terrorists who were planning violent attacks within the Region, including the destruction of fixed communications infrastructure.

“This operation was aimed at neutralising dangerous terrorists who were planning violent attacks within the Region, including the destruction of fixed communications infrastructure,” partly read the release. 

It detailed that as the soldiers approached, the heavily armed terrorists opened fire in an attempt to halt their advances, but the “defence and security forces responded in an appropriate and professional manner, successfully neutralising the hostile elements”. 

Atonfack Guemo, in the release, disclosed that aside neutralising "five terrorists", several military-grade firearms and associated accessories; two Improvised Explosive Devices, IEDs, and approximately ten bladed weapons were seized from the fleeing terrorists. 

Debunks social media propaganda 

Atonfack Guemo, through the release, debunked attempts by underground propaganda networks to flood digital platforms with false information relating to the operation.

He refuted allegation that soldiers “perpetrated an indiscriminate massacre and the destruction of civilian property”. 

Such information, he said, are aimed to decontextualised the operation and spread unauthentic images, and unfounded allegations, intended to portray soldiers in a negative view. 

“These allegations are entirely false. The Ministry of Defence categorically refutes these distorted claims, which are being insidiously disseminated with the intention of undermining the morale of the defence and security forces and compromising the operational integrity of troops deployed in the field,” he stated. 

The release detailed that combing and security operations are continuing actively throughout the area, in order to eliminate all remaining enemy elements and ensure the safety and security of the local population. 

It assured the unwavering commitment of the defence and security forces to safeguarding the territorial integrity of the nation and protecting civilian populations and their property, in strict compliance with the State's international commitments and with international humanitarian law.

Context of major combing operation 

The release from the Ministry of Defence, however failed to indicate if the neutrlaised “dangerous terrorists” were separatist fighters operating in the two English-speaking Regions or were gunmen from neighbouring Nigeria, who have repeatedly stormed border localities to wreak havoc.

Worth recalling is the fact many villages in Akwaya have in years come under attack from marauding Funali herdsmen, reportedly from the neighbouring Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The sophisticatedly armed Fulani herdsmen, last April, invaded Bombe village in Mesaga Ekol Court Area, killing many, and maiming both men and women. 

Inhabitants of Bombe village were also forced to flee to far off areas for safety, abandoning their killed relatives and belongings, as the attackers razed houses. 

Battle over farm and grazing land between herdsmen and locals have over the years led to deadly battles in Akwaya Subdivision. 

Such attacks worsened in 2023, coupled with mayhem inflicted on locals by separatist fighters. 

The Member of Parliament, MP, for Akwaya Subdivision, Hon Aka Martin Tyoga, had appealed to government to set up a military base in Akwaya as first emergency aid to save the people from constant raids. 

He had also warned that Akwaya is “a very fertile area for arms trafficking”, insisting that a new military base would benefit the people.

On his part, the former Moderator of the PCC, the Very Rev Dr Fonki Samuel Forba, had in an outing on Equinoxe Television on March 31, 2024, accused government of not only abandoning the population to themselves, but literally ‘ceding’ the border administrative unit to the government of neighbouring Nigeria. 

The erstwhile PCC Moderator was categorical that Nigeria’s presence is more felt in Akwaya Subdivision than that of the government of Cameroon. 

Meantime, the major combing operation by the military, many say, is a long-awaited response to the plea of locals in the face of persistent attacks. 

It comes barely months after the government of Cameroon and that of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, sealed a defense Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to jointly combat all security threats along the Southern borders of both neighbouring nations.

Officials had said the MoU will provide the framework for military operations within the strategic border area encompassing the conflict-hit North West and South West Regions of Cameroon.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3871 of Friday August 07, 2026