Douala-Cameroon: Shootout between arm gangs and security forces leave one dead

One person has been has been killed and the office of the commander of the of the Mboppi gendarmerie Brigade in Douala has been shattered following a shootout in the early hours of June 16 2016. Witnesses heard gunshots for the greater part of the night.

There are controversies on the origins of the gunshots.Security sources first related it to a detainee of about 30 years old who is said to have escaped from his cell and made his way into an armory from where he began opening fire, apparently in an attempt to escape. Though not fully identified at the time of filing in this report, concordant sources said the ‘assailant’ is reportedly a gendarme officer who was dismissed from the corps. Information from other sources indicated that the ‘assailant’ visited as a former colleague and demanded the use of the toilet.

He latter hid himself in the ceiling of the brigade from 5:00 pm till 10:00 and after stealing a ‘bag’ of bullets and a gun. He is reported to have latter fallen off the ceiling late at night. The said fall created panic within the gendarmerie camp prompting everyone to be on alert. Elements of the Groupement Polyvalent d’Intervention de La Gendarmerie National, GPIGN, who were called in, were forced to cordon off the entire area to limit the damages from reaching the civilian population in the several hours of shootout that ensured. No security source was able to confirm information from other sources which said the incident followed an attempt by a group of armed men to liberate some of their alleged accomplices who were being detained.

What has so far been accepted by the different sources is the fact that the suspect was bullet ridden beyond recognition and killed. His corpse was transported to the Bonanjo military hospital morgue pending investigations. Circulation from SCDP through the crowded Mboppi Market and from the Camp Yabassi end of the road was seriously paralyzed. Shops in the Mboppi market are gradually being opened.

Additional reporting from Chris Thobie and Triyah Swebu.