This archive report was first published on 27 August 2019.
On August 27, 2019, the United Nations and activists reported that thousands of Cameroonians had fled the country's anglophone provinces, citing fears of escalating violence.
Cameroon's armed forces have been battling a separatist movement since 2017, resulting in nearly 2,000 deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
As part of this ongoing conflict, a military court in Cameroon handed a life sentence to Julius Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, the head of the country's anglophone separatist movement, on Tuesday.
The 'dead city' protests, which bring cities to a standstill, are a tactic used by anglophone separatists who feel discriminated against in education, law, and economic opportunities by the francophone majority.
According to James Nunan, director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in the regions, thousands of people have left cities like Bamenda, Kumba, and Buea, but the exact number is difficult to determine.
Local activists and witnesses in Bamenda and Buea confirmed the movement, with one resident, Ernest Okoche Bui, stating that he was leaving Bamenda due to the lockdown protest called by the separatists.
