Omam Esther, Executive Director of Reach Out Cameroon and a Global Peace Champion, has issued a searing condemnation of the killing of an entire family in Gidado, a community located between Ndu and Ntumbaw in Cameroon’s North West Region, describing the incident as a grave moral collapse and a direct assault on humanity itself.
In a strongly worded statement, Omam Esther rejected any attempt to frame the killings as part of an ongoing conflict, reprisal attacks, or political struggle. Instead, she characterized the incident as a deliberate act of extermination that targeted civilians, including women, children, the elderly, and an infant.
“This is not a clash. This is not resistance. This is not struggle,” she said. “It is the deliberate hunting down and extermination of a family. Killed simply because of who they are.”
The incident in Gidado has reignited painful memories of previous atrocities in the region, including the 2020 killings in Garbuh, after which national and international voices vowed that such violence would never be repeated. For Omam Esther, the recurrence of similar attacks signals a dangerous normalization of brutality.
“We said ‘never again’ after Garbuh. Yet today, it is Gidado. Tomorrow, whose name will we be forced to learn through blood and tears?” she asked.
According to Omam Esther, the violence reflects a broader and deeply troubling pattern, particularly the systematic targeting of Mbororo communities. She pointed to reports of homes being burned, livestock destroyed, and entire populations living under fear, stressing that no political narrative can justify such acts.
“There is nothing political about murdering a family into extinction,” she said. “There is nothing strategic about wiping out children.”
As a peace advocate, Omam Esther emphasized that violence against civilians not only violates fundamental human values but also undermines any cause it claims to advance.
“This violence dishonours every cause it claims to serve,” she stated. “It erases our shared humanity and leaves a stain that no rhetoric can cleanse.”
Speaking with visible emotion, Omam Esther acknowledged her anger and grief, but made clear that silence is not an option. She called for accountability, an end to attacks on civilians, and a renewed collective commitment to protecting human life.
“We must say it clearly and without fear: this is wrong. It is criminal. It is inhuman. And it must stop.”
Her message concluded with a broader appeal to conscience, warning that peace and freedom cannot emerge from cycles of violence and collective punishment.
“Peace cannot be built on the graves of children. Freedom cannot be born from the blood of families,” Omam said. “Only when we decide, collectively, that no cause is worth the destruction of our own humanity will the morning break.”
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