Cameroon School Reopening Hit by Deadly Attack, Teacher Abductions in Northwest

Cameroon’s new school year has faced an early security setback in the Northwest region, where a police commissioner was killed and six teachers abducted in Wum just one day after classes officially resumed.

The Sept. 8 attack occurred in Wum, in the Menchum division, as a convoy of administrative officials and security personnel toured schools to assess whether classes had effectively resumed, according to Xinhua, which cited security sources and residents.

Police Commissioner Mbah Tobie Damase was traveling with the delegation when armed men suspected of belonging to separatist groups ambushed the convoy. Damase was killed in the attack. Xinhua also reported that the assailants abducted six teachers from the Government Technical Teachers’ Training College (GTTC) in Wum. A security source told the news agency on Sept. 8 that security forces were pursuing the attackers.

The incident came just days after the International Crisis Group (ICG) warned of threats to the reopening of schools in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest regions. In its monthly conflict assessment published Sept. 2, the organization said the rise in violence recorded in August “could affect the reopening of schools in September.”

The warning followed several incidents reported during August in the two English-speaking regions, where conflict between government forces and armed separatist groups has continued since 2017. Abductions, attacks on security forces and movement restrictions continue to affect some communities.

The 2026-2027 school year also begins amid persistent pressure on school operations. Monday “ghost town” shutdowns remain in effect in some parts of the Northwest and Southwest. For this school year, Xinhua reports that separatist fighters are also attempting to enforce a week-long lockdown to disrupt the resumption of classes.

The government had strengthened security measures ahead of the Sept. 7 reopening. A special assessment meeting held at the Ministry of Defense on Aug. 26 reviewed the situation in the English-speaking regions.

The defense minister subsequently ordered intensified security operations and closer coordination with local administrative authorities to help secure the reopening of schools.

Thierry Christophe Yamb