Amnesty demands the release of 84 detained children

The human rights organization, Amnesty International has called on Cameroonian authorities to release 84 children who have been held hostage for six months after security forces raided schools in the Far North where the Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram is based.

In a statement by the NGO, the children who have been detained in the juvenile court in Maroua have not been charged of any accusation till date.

On December 20, 2014 several security forces in the form of policemen, gendarmes and soldiers raided several schools in Guirvidig, kidnapping 43 men and 84 children including many teachers. The authorities claimed the establishments served under Boko Haram training camps.

According to eyewitness accounts, the defense and security forces also forcefully entered several houses, confiscated goods and demanded bribes to let a younger captive free.

''Only three of these children are over 15 years while 47 were below 10 years”, said the Amnesty International who insisted that Cameroonian authorities should fulfill their commitment in respecting human rights and help in the fight against jihadist movement. The NGO also requested for the immediate release of these children so they can reunite with their families, “unless they want to be charged with a recognizably criminal offense”.

Many Cameroonian authorities questioned on the subject said none of the children are in danger even though none has taken the responsibility to facilitate their release.

Amnesty International also called on the Cameroonian authorities '' to begin an independent investigation into the mass arrests that took place in Guirvidig and the detentions that followed, to ensure that the men arrested during the operation would be given a fair trial and imprisonment conditions consistent with human rights”.