The tragedy occurred after clashes between the two camps competing for the chieftaincy of the Bagam group.

Sons and daughters of the Bagam group in the Bamboutos division of the West Region had a clash last Thursday November 16, 2023. Gunshots, fistfights, stabbings and machete attacks caused havoc among the local population and the security forces who came to restore order and separate the parties involved. The still and moving images show seriously injured people being carried away on motorbikes or lying on the ground, lifeless bodies and people in disarray, frightened by the gunfire.

In a message, the commander of the Mbouda gendarmerie company reported the situation to the Bamboutos Senior divisional officer. According to the document, a copy of which is on the internet, two camps are in dispute over who should be the group commander. The first camp, led by Mathurin Mouoyebe Zossie, the self-proclaimed chief, kidnapped Dieudonné Fongtendop Zossie, the leader of the second camp, during the clashes. On a mission ordered by the prefect, members of the gendarmerie were attacked by Mouoyebe’s camp.

Six people were injured, two seriously and four lightly on the side of the police. Two people were seriously injured and two home-made guns, a dagger and three machetes were found on the side of the demonstrators. The report also notes the presence of a large number of home-made weapons in the area.

Cameroon has witnessed several conflicts related to inheriting traditional chieftainships. Some of these are due to the tinkering that goes on in the appointment of traditional chiefs today.