Nearly 80 children abducted from a school in Cameroon: NPR

According to the authorities, at least 78 children and their director were abducted at a school by gunmen in northwestern Cameroon late Sunday night.

The children were taken to a Presbyterian school near the city of Bamenda, in the heart of an English-speaking separatist movement.

On social networks, a group of separatists called "Amba boys", according to Ambazonia, broadcast a video supposed to show some of the students the name they gave to the English-speaking independent state that They hope to found, according to the Associated Press agency. The video would show that some of the boys were forced to give their names and those of their parents.

The video has not been verified, but the AP reports that parents have written on social media to recognize their children.

"We will not let you go until after the fight, you will now go to school here," the men said, according to the press service.

In a statement, Amnesty International strongly condemned the kidnappings.

"The kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers can never be justified," said Samira Daoud, deputy regional director of the organization for West Africa. and the Center. "Those responsible must release and return the victims immediately, we express our solidarity with the families of these children and ask the Cameroonian authorities to make every effort to ensure that all students and school staff are released unharmed."

Most of Cameroon is French-speaking, while the western part of the country is populated by English speakers. English-speaking areas have frequently been victims of violence since the end of 2016, while a number of Anglophone lawyers have protested against the fact that a recently passed law is not translated into French. The protests have grown, with schools run by teachers with poor English and sent by the government.

The tensions have their roots in the era of the independence of the country. "Cameroon was colonized by Germany and then divided into two regions, British and French, after World War I," says the BBC. "After a referendum, Southern Cameroon, led by the British, joined the French Republic of Cameroon in 1961, while Northern Cameroon voted in favor of the membership of English-speaking Nigeria."

Integration was not smooth and the anglophone minority complained of the marginalization of the French-speaking majority.

Hundreds of people have been killed during violence in the country over the past year, reports the AP. Last week, an American missionary was shot dead in the head while he was in his car, apparently caught in a crossfire between government soldiers and armed separatists in Bamenda.

According to an Amnesty International report released in June 2007, numerous incidents of violence have targeted schools in the region.

"A widely followed boycott of schools was in place since the end of 2016, but since the beginning of 2017, school administrators and teachers perceived as not imposing it have been facing more and more For example, between February 2017 and May 2018, at least 42 schools in the region were attacked, 36 of which were damaged by fires. criminals, 11 by other types of attacks, as well as two burned buses, and various harassment and attacks on students and teachers.At least three teachers were killed during the same period and two directors of school were kidnapped. "

Cameroon eliminated its presidential term limits ten years ago, one of the many countries of Central Africa to modify or eliminate them. President Paul Biya has been in power since 1982. The 85-year-old journalist has just won his seventh term in an election that, according to the BBC, is "tainted by low voter turnout and high voter turnout." intimidation of voters ". The participation rate in English-speaking areas may have been as low as 5%.

Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR Africa correspondent, contributed to this report.