Explosion Rocks Nkambe Youth Day Celebration Parade

The Cameroonian youth will not only recall fond memories of the annual celebration of their youth day. As the country commemorated the 18-35 age group on Sunday, February 11th, a dramatic event cast a shadow over the festivities in Nkambe, the capital of the Donga-Mantung department in the Anglophone Northwest region.

The explosion occurred just after the parade, according to information obtained by our editorial team. Nkambe, which had hosted the traditional parade for youth day, became the scene of a violent explosion late Sunday morning.

Reports indicate that an improvised explosive device detonated just after the passage of students in this region plagued by armed conflict with separatist rebels. While the human toll had not yet been definitively established by early afternoon, a local source contacted by our editorial team had already mentioned casualties. The prefect of the department and his staff were also convened in a crisis cell in the afternoon to assess the tragedy.

However, this incident further darkens the climate in the Northwest, where authorities continue to proclaim a return to "normalcy" without managing to stem the daily violence. The involvement of separatist armed groups behind this deadly explosion seems probable. Nkambe and its region are known as one of the strongholds of secessionist fighters who have been advocating for the independence of "Ambazonia" for over 5 years.

It is difficult, therefore, to overlook the possibility that this bloody act, perpetrated after the government parade, was either a retaliation or a show of force. In any case, it serves as yet another tragic illustration of the extreme tensions prevailing in the Northwest and Southwest regions, despite official claims of pacification by Yaoundé.