Mother of Three Brutally Killed by 'Unknown' Gunmen in Bamenda

The woman tragically died on the spot.

The victim, identified as Monji Bernis and hailing from Awing in the Santa subdivision of the Northwest Region, was a seamstress at the Bamenda main market. Her husband is currently in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

According to an eyewitness account provided to STAR TV Bamenda, the woman was returning from a family meeting with some of her relatives aboard three cars. When her car dropped her at Mbogam Junction on Mbengwi Road and she started climbing the hill to her residence, gunmen appeared in front of her. She was shot in the head and chest, succumbing to her injuries on the spot.

The same gunmen opened fire at the car that had dropped her, injuring one occupant. Fortunately, the driver was quick to accelerate and rush the injured person to a health facility in Bamenda for medical attention.

"The mom I know does not even have friends. She's such a quiet and calm lady; you can never see her arguing with someone. She leaves in the morning for work and returns home at 5:00 PM. She is always indoors. If you see her, it is only when she's going to work or on Sundays when she's going for meetings," said someone close to her.

The motive behind the killing of the woman remains unknown, and the gunmen who carried out the attack are also unidentified.

"They came purposely for her because the people who killed her stood at the two entrances leading to her house. It shows it was something that was planned," added our source.
The security situation remains highly volatile in the Anglophone northwest and southwest regions. During late 2023 and early 2024, armed clashes between government forces and Ambazonian groups, as well as infighting among different groups, continued to affect civilian populations.

At least 30 civilians, predominantly from the Boki community, were killed following an attack on 6 November in Egbekaw village, Mamfe, by armed rebels who had accused members of the Boki community of hiring mercenaries from Nigeria to fight them.

Tensions in Mamfe increased again during January when an army officer shot and killed a pregnant woman at a checkpoint.

No group has claimed responsibility for the killing of Monji Bernis; however, the region remains very volatile as some individuals use the cover of the crisis to settle personal scores according to several eyewitnesses on previous scenarios.