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: July 08, 2022

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Buea

Region & Country:Central Africa | Cameroon

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On July 8, 2022, armed separatist fighters entered the campus of the University of Buea with machetes and disrupted examinations, abducting an exam supervisor.

Students in the faculty of engineering and technology reported that the suspects demanded everyone lie on the ground and asked the exam supervisor to leave the room with them. 20 minutes later, the suspects ordered students to leave, threatening to shoot them.

As of this report, SAR does not have additional information about the status of the abducted exam supervisor.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about militants threatening higher education students and abducting a staff member. State and higher education officials should take all available steps to respond to and prevent such incidents, including by carrying out investigations and holding perpetrators responsible. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, the use of violent, coercive threats on campus and the abduction of a staff member undermine the conditions required for academic freedom.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20220712092047275
https://mimimefoinfos.com/breaking-amba-fighters-invade-university-of-buea-disrupt-examinations/
https://www.cameroonconcordnews.com/university-of-buea-lecturer-kidnapped/