The unseen struggle: Persons with disabilities caught in middle of Anglophone armed conflict.

Many of them have been left in a double degree tragedy, simply because they cannot easily flee as a result of their impairment.

According to Human Rights Watch report of 2024, at least 6,000 persons have been killed by both government forces and armed separatists and over 630,000 civilians displaced as a result of the conflict. 

While calling for urgent humanitarian actions for persons living with disabilities, Human Rights Watch said these people who were already living under horrible situations before the conflict are lacking basic facilities like shelter, education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.

During the celebration of the World Disability Day in 2023, the Divisional Delegate of Social Affairs for Mezam Division in the North West Region, Kwende Clif, revealed that Cameroon had about 3,487,200 persons living with disabilities in 2017. With the advent of the armed conflict, the numbers are said to have doubled.

Challenges face by persons with disabilities 

Just like other civilians, persons with disabilities have been killed, assaulted, arbitrarily arrested or kidnapped by both government forces and armed separatists. 

This in violation of the principle of humanity number 3 of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which states that: “Treat people under your control with dignity and humanity. Don’t commit sexual violence, torture, nor inhumane or degrading treatment”.

A report published by Human Rights Watch in 2019 detailed that “at least 20 cases in which government forces killed people with disabilities as they struggled to flee attacks, or because they were left behind”.

31-year-old Fuh Assah Bertrand, a student at the University of Bamenda is one among those who have been molested and bundled-up in a military truck simply because he could not clearly express himself because he is visually impaired.

“When you feel pain from people who are supposed to protect you, it feels very bad and I always feel rejected. I cannot count the number of times I have been removed from a taxi because I am still having a receipt of the identity card. The other time they forced me inside their truck together with my cane and I hurt my mouth and blood was oozing out. When I wanted to explain in English, they told me to speak in French...,” Fuh Assah said.

Kum Nji Desmond, PhD researcher at the University of Bamenda who is Secretary General of Hope Social Union for the Visually Impaired association is another victim of the crisis who was left stranded on the university campus during a shootout. 

“I remember one time in the university when there was a gun exchange. People had to flee for their lives but for me with visual impairment, I couldn’t run and remained in class and thank God, I could make my way home at last,” Kum Nji said.

Just like Kum Nji, Kesah Princely also visually impaired, told The Guardian Post in an interview that his friends abandoned him during a medical examination at the University of Buea in 2018 and fled away.

“Personally, I have had my own bad side of the story. I remember when a was still a student around 2018 and news went round that separatists were around. I had gone for our medicals with a friend and when people started running my friend had to leave me and I was all alone...how I later found my way home is something I can't explain till date,” Kesah Princely said.

Kum Nji and Fuh Assah added that the educational system in the Anglophone regions and Cameroon at large is a nightmare to them. 

Many of them with visual impairment usually face difficulties to access lecture halls, difficulties to interpret hard copy notes and challenges during examinations.

Poor healthcare, no need-assessment 

As the armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon persists for over seven years, many of these persons with disabilities have continued to live under deplorable and critical health conditions. 

According to Nogning Armelle, who lives with mobility impairment, it is always challenging each time she is ill.

“The most immediate impact of the crisis is on our health. The lack of access to quality healthcare and displacement in the struggle to find regular medication, check ups and essential therapies is not easy. Sometimes the journey to reach a clinic is frightful and dangerous, and even if I make it, the facilities may lack accessibility,” says Nogning Armelle.

On their part, Kum Nji and Kesah Princely are of the opinion that the government, civil society organisations and the international humanitarian actors have failed in providing their rightful needs. 

According to them, it is the right and duty of persons with disabilities to be consulted to know their needs and challenges.

“Do you know that it is very difficult for persons living with disabilities to receive aid? This is because many organisations don’t carry out need-assessment of persons with disabilities to know their specific needs before giving them aid…,” Kum Nji exclaimed.

“Humanitarian actions have not been inclusive. No need-assessment is usually done. People assume that because this is a visually impaired person, he needs a white cane, because this is a mobility impaired person, he needs a wheelchair...they forget that they have to think beyond that. Need-assessment has not been done and the situation of persons with disabilities is going worse on a daily basis," Kesah said.

Economic, social effects of conflict 

As the armed conflict continues to cripple economic activities and the lives of the population, persons living with disabilities are not left untouched. 

Nogning Armelle told The Guardian Post that she was forced to shut down her business in 2019 due to ghost towns and lockdowns in the city of Bamenda.

“As a restaurant owner, I lost my business due to constant lockdown and general instability. Finding new opportunities has become nearly impossible. As a woman with a disability, the situation is even worse,” Nogning laments.

In February 2024, Nogning was one amongst over 300 victims of a fire incident at the Bamenda main market, whose shops were consumed by fire. 

On his part, Joseph Fru, a taxi driver with mobility impairment in Bamenda, was in June this year, pulled out of his taxi and set on fire by armed separatists in the Ntarinkon neighborhood. The attack followed a ban on the circulation of taxis bearing the usual color by armed separatists.

Sustainable way forward 

Despite the deplorable conditions and the aggravating impact of the conflict on the lives of persons with disabilities in the Anglophone regions, some of them are still managing to find their way out and meet up with day-to-day life.

Despite being left stranded and frustrated several times on the university campus of Buea as a student, Kesah Princely did not give up in the early years of 2018. 

He was focused on achieving his dream of becoming a lecturer of Conflict Resolution and a mentor to other students living with disabilities and visual impairment in particular.

“Sustaining my education was not easy I had to indulge in activities like hawking honey on the street and others just to sustain my life. Now I think God has been kind to me because I am gradually achieving my dreams, that’s why I am here today and the only way to pay back is to be a voice to these people,” Kesah said.

Elsewhere, Kum Nji Desmond set the record in 2021 as the first student with visual impairment to defend Masters thesis in the University of Bamenda. 

Kum is a PhD researcher at Law today in the same university. He is equally a Philosophy teacher at GBHS Atiela in Nkwen, Bamenda III subdivision.

As the armed conflict persists, these persons living with disabilities in the two affected regions are advocating accessible healthcare, economic empowerment and support through various organisations, disability inclusive aid, advocacy through the media, and enclosure in the peace building processes.

Under the International Humanitarian Law, it is clearly stated that the State bears the primary responsibility for ensuring that the basic needs of civilians and the population under their control are met. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3270 of Friday October 25, 2024