The Boyo War Zone Scenario; Amba clashes against Amba over weapons - Belo Amba Boys kidnaps 12 passengers from Fundong in retaliation - Belo Amba Clashes with Fundong Amba over confiscated AK 47s

The Boyo War Zone Scenario; Amba clashes against Amba over weapons

- - Belo Amba Boys kidnaps 12 passengers from Fundong in retaliation, release  them after a week 

-  - Belo Amba Clashes with Fundong Amba over confiscated AK 47s

By Sah Terence Animbom.

There has been a recent feud among the Ambazonian restoration fighters in Boyo division that has brought about a very tensed atmosphere and placed the military in Fundong on a well deserved and jubilatory break. The restoration fighters camp in Fundong  is not in working terms with the camps of Njinikom and Belo and even the civilian population which has caused a lot of negative talk about the Fundong Amba Boys.

The Scale News Africa reporter took a trip to Boyo division to ascertain the state of the kidnapped hostages and to understand the cause of the feud among the fighters.

12 passengers from Fundong kidnapped 

Contrary to social media reports claiming that over 30 passengers from Fundong were kidnapped by Amba Boys in Belo on Tuesday July 16, 2019, The Scale News Africa went digging and found out that a convoy of three passenger cars from Fundong and one from Njinikom transporting 15 persons including the drivers was intercepted by Ambazonian fighters at Sho village in Belo at about 9:00 am that day. The said cars were heading to Bamenda when they were intercepted and diverted towards  Acha road in Belo and taken about 8 kilo meters into the interior. 

Prior to diverting the cars, three of the passengers; young ladies were set free on the spot thus taking only 12 passengers hostage and leading them to one of the most dreaded Amba camps in Belo. “While they were leading us to the camp, we heard heavy gunshots from a distance coming from a military convoy that seemed to be approaching us. They immediately told us to branch into Achah road so as to avoid being caught in their cross fire. They however did not stay back to attack the military but came along with us. I heard them say engaging the military at the time with civilian hostages among them will be catastrophic.” Einstein, One of the hostages told The Scale News Africa reporter to Boyo on fact finding mission.

“We arrived the camp and two more hostages were freed at the same time. One was a woman who pleaded that she had left her child at home alone and told neighbors that she was just going to buy some things in Bamenda to come back. The boys listened to her condition and released her immediately. There was also a driver from Njinikom among us who was in his car alone heading to Bamenda to buy drinks.  The boys released retaining  only 10 of us. We spent the whole day there and eventually spent the night”. Einstein again told The Scale News Africa.

Gladys a woman in her early 40s told The Scale News Africa “It was only when we spent the night that we realized things were more serious than we thought. The only thing that made us feel a bit at ease is the fact that they had not rough handled anybody among us and had been very friendly and sober. They gave us food to eat and showed us a place to sleep. They collected our ID cards but left us with our phones such that while there we could make calls to our loved ones.”

Another hostage told The Scale News Africa “The only food we had there was rice. We either ate rice and groundnut stew or painted rice. There was neither meat nor fish. We only had meat on the eve of the day we were to be released. The boys actually slaughtered a goat, then roasted and fed us with it. We were released on Thursday July 18, 2019 at 11:00 am. They just allowed us to find our way home without bothering to escort us as they did on the day of kidnap. They did not ask any of us to pay anything.”

Nges a driver said “When they took us to the camp, they said the Fundong boys had annoyed them and that they will keep us until the Fundong Amba Boys gave back their weapons which they seized. They told us not to worry and that they will simply keep us until their weapons are returned. They also said they have been hearing a lot of bad things the Fundong Amba Boys do to the population and that they will also use that opportunity to see if the Fundong Amba boys really care about their civilians. While there, they made a call to Fundong telling the Amba boys that they had kidnapped their Fundong people and that they should hand their weapons if they truly loved them. They threatened them that we will pay for it if they don’t. They told us that the commander in Fundong had told them in the call to do with us whatever they wished.”

Belo Amba Clashes with Fundong Amba over confiscated AK 47s  

The Scale News Africa gathered that some four AK 47 automatic guns had been sent to the Ambazonian restoration fighters in Boyo division some months back. It is said that the Amba boys in Belo had taken all of them and not shared with the other camps as the instructions from their Diaspora sponsors had stipulated. The Fundong Amba Boys had however continued to manage their local weapons and a few modern guns seized from the military. 

Two weeks ago, some more guns had been sent to the boys via Fundong and the Fundong Boys seized all of them sending the Belo Boys who went to collect away empty handed. This sparked an outrage as the Belo camp asked for their weapons to be returned to no avail.

They then decided to take civilian hostages from Fundong in a bid to force the Fundong boys hand the weapons. However when the Fundong boys told them to do with the hostages whatever they wished, they opted for a physical brawl with the Fundong boys. 

The Belo guys then took off for Abuh Fundong on the night of Tuesday breaking Wednesday, ready for a real shoot out. The Scale News Africa gathered that they arrived there at about 4:00 am on Wednesday and engaged in a shootout that lasted the whole day. The Fundong general was arrested by the Belo guys and a married woman who was seen in the room of the general at the time of the attack was shot on the leg.

At press time, the Fundong Amba General is still in the hands of the Belo Amba boys. Circulation along the Fundong Bamenda corridor via Belo has since last week been retarded and limited to daring bikes only. Inhabitants of Fundong say the military in Fundong was so happy when the boys started fighting among themselves. No lives were lost in the process. The Scale News Africa is yet to confirm the number of injured persons in the cause of the brawl except for the case of the married woman whose names we are withholding for obvious reasons.