Boko Haram and Cameroon accused of rights violations

Amnesty International's report documents the violence perpetuated on the population of northern Cameroon by Boko Haram terrorists as well as by Cameroon's security forces.

The rights group collected eyewitness accounts in the Far North region of Cameroon in the spring and summer of 2015.

The report documents the atrocities by Boko Haram fighters, many who have crossed the border from Nigeria since that country's armed forces began a crackdown on the terrorist group earlier this year. Amnesty claims that these fighters have killed 380 people in Cameroon since January 2015.

"As Boko Haram has brought its violence to Cameroon, civilians have come increasingly under fire. By killing indiscriminately, destroying civilian property, abducting people and using children as suicide bombers, they have committed war crimes and caused untold fear and suffering to the civilian population," said Alioune Tine, Amnesty International director for West and Central Africa.

One eyewitness told the group "I saw Boko Haram fighters brutally cutting the throats of at least two of my neighbours."

But it is not just Nigerian fighters who are perpetrating the violence. Amnesty International claims that between 3,000 and 4,000 Cameroonians have joined Boko Haram. It also accuses the group of kidnapping young men and girls as well as preying on poor men with little prospects of employment or education.

The report also documents mass arrests, excessive use of force, unlawful killings, destruction of property, deaths in custody and enforced disappearances it claims were perpetrated by Cameroonian forces.

The group previously released another report on alleged atrocities perpetrated by Nigerian soldiers combating Boko Haram. According to Amnesty International at least 6,800 civilians have been killed, at least 2,000 kidnapped and 1.2 million persons forced to flee their homes in Nigeria since 2013.

On the Nigerian side of the border, the group estimates that 1,200 people have been extra-judicially executed, 7,000 people are imprisoned in inhumane conditions, and over 20,000 people arbitrarily arrested.

Cameroonian security forces are also being accused of arbitrarily arresting at least 1,000 suspected militants in Far North region. In June the group called for the release of 43 men and 84 children who were arrested at a Quranic school in December.

"Detaining young children will do nothing to protect Cameroonians living under the threat of Boko Haram. The government must stand by its promise to respect human rights in the fight against Boko Haram, and release these children so they can be reunited with their families without delay," said Tine.

Cameroon's Minister of Communication Issa Tchiroma Bakary, when contacted by DW, said he was still preparing a response to the accusations made in the report.