Amnesty International has accused the Cameroon military of war crimes including beating, drowning and killing of Boko Haram suspects.
A statement from Isa Sanusi of Amnesty International on Thursday said its report revealed that detainees in Cameroon are subjected to severe beatings, agonising stress positions and drownings, with some tortured to death
Amnesty accuse Cameroon forces of widespread torture at twenty sites, including four military bases, two facilities run by intelligence services, a private residence and a school
Amnesty also called for US and other international partners to investigate their military personnel’s possible knowledge of torture at one base.
AI said hundreds of people in Cameroon accused of supporting Boko Haram, often without evidence, are being brutally tortured by security forces.
The AI report is said to be based on dozens of testimonies, corroborated with satellite imagery, photographic and video evidence.
The report, ‘Cameroon’s secret torture chambers: human rights violations and war crimes in the fight against Boko Haram’ documents 101 cases of incommunicado detention and torture between 2013 and 2017, at over two different sites.
AI said, “We have repeatedly and unequivocally condemned the atrocities and war crimes committed by Boko Haram in Cameroon.
“But, nothing could justify the callous and widespread practice of torture committed by the security forces against ordinary Cameroonians, who are often arrested without any evidence and forced to endure unimaginable pain.
“These horrific violations amount to war crimes. Given the weight of the evidence we have uncovered, the authorities must initiate independent investigations into these practices of incommunicado detention and torture, including potential individual and command responsibility.” The AI stated.
