SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: November 10, 2021

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Buea

Region & Country:Central Africa | Cameroon

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On November 10, 2021, unidentified individuals detonated a homemade bomb on the campus of the University of Buea, injuring 11 students.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of violent conflict between anglophone separatists and the government of Cameroon in the western part of the country. According to reports, the bomb was thrown onto the roof of a lecture hall, where it exploded. As of this report, an investigation of the incident is ongoing; no group has taken responsibility for the incident. 

Scholars at Risk is concerned about a violent attack on a higher education institution. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, such acts undermine university autonomy, the right to education, and academic freedom by reducing the degree to which the campus is an open, free space. State authorities have a responsibility to protect higher education communities and to hold perpetrators of violent attacks accountable.   

Sources:

https://www.ceoafrica.com/newsdetails.php?tabnews=83874
https://alwatan.ae/?p=881326
https://www.news24.com/news24/Africa/News/explosive-attack-on-cameroon-university-lecture-hall-wounds-11-20211110
https://www.haaretz.com/world-news/wires/1.10373554