Inter-Communal Clash Between Kanuri, Arab Shoa Communities In Cameroon Lead To Death, Injuries
The clash was triggered by a disagreement between two groups of children group, spiralling into a clash that resulted in death and bloodshed among the adults.
One man was killed and several others severely wounded during clashes last week between the Kanuri and Arab Shoa communities in Waza, Far North region of Cameroon.
Amada Adam, a father of eight children was the lone fatal casualty, while five individuals received serious wounds and were rushed to the Mora district hospital. Some others received light injuries.
HumAngle learnt that trouble started after a dispute between children at a public water point in the neighbourhood.
“When some Kanuri children saw Arab Shoa children sitting on their jerry cans, they ordered them to stand up from them saying that the last time Arab Shoa children sat on jerry cans owned by Kanuri children it was later discovered that they had urinated inside the jerry cans,” a source said.
“Of the five Arab Shoa children who were sitting on the jerry cans of Kanuri children, four obeyed the demand to stand up from them but one refused to stand up.”
This was believed to have snowballed to a bigger crisis involving the two communities.
“The arrival of the Mayor of Waza, Ibrahim Mohamed, further aggravated the situation because instead of addressing both communities, he first went to confer with his Arab Shoa brothers before going to talk to the Kanuris,” said an eyewitness who pleaded for anonymity.
“The Kanuris saw his action as siding with his own Arab Shoa community and were inflamed because they held that he had come to support his ethnic group and not to make peace.”
“This led to the further degeneration of the situation resulting in the death of Amada Adam and the severe wounding of five individuals with some others getting away with light injuries.”
After the clash, the Prefect of Logone-et-Chari, Jean-Lazare Ndongo Ndongo, accompanied by his close collaborators, went to the scene to calm nerves.
“The administrative authorities held a working session with the belligerent parties during which representatives of both sides expressed their grievances.”
“The Prefect prescribed a number of measures to be taken in order to ensure peace within the two communities and called on the leaders of the Kanuris and Arab Shoa to be involved in the peace efforts,” our source revealed.
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