The Divisional Delegate of Communication for Momo Division, late Becky Jeme Iyabo will be laid to rest this Friday, January 15 in Buea.

Late Rebecca Njeme popularly called Becky

According to the funeral programme, her relics will be removed from Ekounou mortuary in the nation’s political capital-Yaounde at 7:30am and taken to the Esplanade of the Ministry of Communication at 9am for decoration.

From the Esplanade, her remains will be moved to Buea, Southwest Region for burial. Late Becky Jeme died as a result of an ambush masterminded by suspected separatists fighters in Momo Division. Reports indicated that the vehicle carrying the young Divisional Delegate stepped on an explosive device as the convoy returned from the installation ceremony of Njikwa’s new Sub-Divisional Officer. The attack resulted to her demise and that of four soldiers.

As news of her untimely earthly departure circulated, local and international bodies, individuals and civil society leaders reacted bitterly to incident. The president of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, Agbor Nkongho condemned the killing and expressed his heartfelt condolence to the bereaved families.

Equally, the National Coordinator of the Cameroon Community Media Network, Rosaline Obah, criticised the killing of their colleague and called on the need for the warring parties to put an end to the war that is claiming the lives of civilians, security forces and separatists’’ fighter.

“We are there to report the news and say it as it is and in no way should we be considered as parties or actors in conflict. And so we condemn in very strong terms the killing of our colleague. We are by this encouraging a peaceful resolution of this crisis, using a non-violent approach and call on the parties to take to the dialogue table so that the casualties recorded that has involved one of us should be a thing of the past,” Obah said to VOA correspondent in Cameroon.

Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 285 civilians have been killed in about 190 incidents since January 2020 in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon and several thousand displaced internally and in neighbouring countries such as Nigeria.

By Neville Mesumbe