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A8   WORLD NEWS
              Wednesday 31 OctOber 2018

            American missionary killed in Cameroon amid armed conflict



            By EDWIN KINDZEKA MOKI                                                                                              where  armed  separatists
            Associated Press                                                                                                    have been fighting with the
            YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP)                                                                                              military  while  attempting
            —  An  American  mission-                                                                                           to create an independent
            ary died Tuesday after be-                                                                                          state.
            ing  shot  in  the  head  amid                                                                                      Regional   Gov.    Deben
            fighting  between  armed                                                                                            Tchoffo said armed groups
            separatists  and  soldiers  in                                                                                      staged attacks to stop the
            northwestern    Cameroon,                                                                                           reopening of the University
            the director of the regional                                                                                        of Bamenda, and the mili-
            hospital said.                                                                                                      tary  fought  back  Tuesday.
            Charles  Trumann  Wesco,                                                                                            He said Wesco might have
            a  missionary  from  the  U.S.                                                                                      been caught in crossfire.
            state  of  Indiana  who  had                                                                                        A  military  spokesman,  Col.
            been in the region for two                                                                                          Didier Badjeck, told AP that
            weeks,  was  rushed  to  the                                                                                        the  military  killed  at  least
            hospital  in  Bamenda  after                                                                                        four  suspects  in  Wesco's
            he  was  gravely  wounded                                                                                           death  and  arrested  many
            while in his car, hospital di-                                                                                      others. He did not specify if
            rector Kingue Thomson Njie                                                                                          the people detained were
            said.                                                                                                               military  personnel  or  sepa-
            "He died in our hospital af-                                                                                        ratists.
            ter all attempts to save his                                                                                        Cameroon's  military  said
            life,"  Njie  told  The  Associ-                                                                                    last  week  after  launching
            ated Press.                                                                                                         attacks on suspected sep-
            Wesco's  wife,  Stephanie,                                                                                          aratist training grounds that
            and eight children were still                                                                                       "many  have  been  killed."
            in Bamenda, he said.                                                                                                The attacks happened the
            Dave  Halyman,  assistant                                                                                           day  after  President  Paul
            pastor  at  Believers  Baptist                                                                                      Biya was declared the win-
            Church in Warsaw, Indiana,                                                                                          ner of a seventh term.
            where  Stephanie  Wesco's    This undated photo provided by Don Williams shows Charles Wesco and his wife Stephanie.    The increased violence be-
            father,  Don  Williams,  is  the                                                                   Associated Press   gan  after  the  government
            senior pastor, said that Wil-                                                                                       clamped down on demon-
            liams had spoken by phone  the  windshield  and  struck  shock of losing someone as  Lord," he said.                strations  by  English-speak-
            with his daughter after the  him  in  the  head.  No  one  wonderful as Charles was,"  Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb  ing  teachers  and  law-
            shooting.                    else  was  hurt,  Halyman  Halyman  said.  "While  we  issued  a  statement  saying  yers  protesting  what  they
            Reporting    Williams'   ac-  said.                       don't  like  this,  we  under-  that  he  and  his  wife,  Ja-  called their marginalization
            count,  Halyman  said  the  The  family  had  been  in  stand that God has a great  net,  "are  thinking  of  Rep.  by  Cameroon's  French-
            shooting   happened      as  Cameroon      for   just   12  purpose."                  Tim  Wesco  and  his  family  speaking  majority.  Armed
            Charles   and    Stephanie  days  before  the  shooting,  The  missionary's  brother  is  as  they  grieve  the  death  factions emerged after the
            Wesco were in a car being  Halyman said. He said they  Indiana state Rep. Tim Wes-     of  his  brother  Charles.  We  government   crackdown
            driven  by  another  mission-  had  raised  financial  sup-  co, who confirmed that his  ask  that  all  Hoosiers  join  and  have  been  using  vio-
            ary to the town of Bamnui  port for two years and had  older  brother  had  been  us  in  offering  prayers  and  lence to push for an inde-
            from  the  Bamenda  suburb  been  to  Cameroon  two  killed.  "He  loved  the  Lord.  condolences to the Wesco  pendent  state  they  call
            of Bambili, where the fam-   years ago on a survey trip.  He loved people. The Lord  family."                       "Ambazonia."
            ily has been living. He said  "We're  shocked  and  griev-  giveth.                    Bamenda is in Cameroon's  Protests against the 85-year-
            Charles  Wesco  was  in  the  ing  at  what's  occurred.  The  Lord  taketh  away.  Northwest  Region,  the  res-   old Biya's Oct. 7 re-election
            front seat, and two shots hit  We're trying to get over the  Blessed be the name of the  tive  English-speaking  area  have been ongoing.q
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