The separatist group Ambazonia Governing Council claimed responsibility for an attack on Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) last February 11. In a video shared on social media, Capo Daniel, a lieutenant of the separatist leader Ayaba Cho, said: “Our fighters attacked the CDC in Tiko, killing five civilians and injuring dozens of others. This is another message to the Republic of Cameroon, which likes to bribe Chris Anu and Sako Ikome (other separatist leaders, ed) to allow the CDC to continue operating. This will serve as a lesson”.

Capo Daniel, who is reportedly in Hong Kong, is calling on his supporters to launch new attacks against the CDC, which he says is plundering the Republic of Ambazonia that the separatists are trying to create.

CDC MD Franklin Ngoni Njié reported that the separatists (gunmen) attacked a truck that was transporting the company’s staff. 5 workers were killed (four men and a lady) and 44 others, who were injured, were rushed to a hospital in the town of Tiko.

Let’s note that CDC facilities and employees have been targeted by separatist militants since early 2017. Company equipment was set on fire, while employees encountered in the plantations were mutilated or killed.

As of 2018, 12 out of 29 CDC sites were shut down, the national employers’ association Gicam reported. According to CDC itself, some of these sites had become base camps for armed militias. This difficult situation officially caused the loss of 6,124 jobs out of the more than 22,000 the company had. CDC was also off the banana exporter roster between September 2018 and May 2020 (18 months), due to the cessation of production activities.