Conflict looms in Cameroon ahead of 33rd AFCON

Massive numbers of armored vehicles are roaming the streets of Limbe an area in Cameroon ahead of the 33rd Africa Cup of Nations which begins on January 9.

Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six locations, but security may be most jeopardised in Limbe an area that has been rocked by armed attacks since the conflict began in 2017.

At least 3,000 people have been dead and almost one million have fled the violence in which armed factions are attempting to create a breakaway state named Ambazonia.

The Omnisport Stadium in Limbe will host matches from Group F, which includes Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, and Gambia. On January 12, Tunisia will play Mali in the group’s opening match.

The adjacent provincial city of Buea, where some Group F training would take place, was hit by two blasts in November, one of which injured 11 students at a university.

The breakaway conflict began in the English-speaking North West and South West areas in 2016 when teachers and lawyers demonstrated against the marginalisation by the national administration, which was largely French-speaking.