NW, SW: Int’l Crisis Group warns rising violence may disrupt effective schooling.

In the report, the group said “rising violence in the Anglophone regions could affect school reopening in September”.

ICG in the report based its warning on several incidents recorded during the month of August. In the North West Region, the organisation reported that separatists attacked the Nkor gendarmerie brigade on August 5 in an attempt to free fighters detained and the security forces responded to the attack.

The group also disclosed that on August 11, armed men also intercepted passengers along the Batibo-Mamfe road, reporting the abduction of about 20 civilians. 

In the South West Region, ICG reported an ambush on a military convoy along the Buea-Muyuka Road on August 8, followed by clashes between separatists and defence forces near Buea on August 15.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, more than 88 attacks on education were reported between January and June 2026.

In order to step up measures ahead of the new school year, the Ministry of Defence brought together the Ministry of Territorial Administration, the national police, the national gendarmerie, intelligence services and the military high command, to adopt measures for smooth and hitch-free resumption of classes for the 2026/2027 school year. 

Among the security concerns identified was emphasis to be placed on road safety to curb the recurrence of tragic accidents, given the mass movement of population within the school reopening period. 

At the end of the meeting,the Minister of Defence, Joseph Beti Assomo, ordered an intensification of security operations in coordination with administrative authorities and local stakeholders ahead of the planned September 7 return to school.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3905 of Thursday September 10, 2026