(Business in Cameroon) - Public agribusiness unit Pamol Plantations Plc, which operates palm plantations in the Southwest region of Cameroon, confirmed an attack on its facilities at Lobe Estate. In a September 18 statement, the company reported that the attack resulted in four deaths, including one of its employees and his son, as well as two women who were the wives of another retired employee.

In a video published the day before this statement, an individual named "Field Marshall Focus," identified as the leader of a separatist militia called the "Expendable Family," claimed responsibility for the attack. He warned, "We urge all civilians to leave Lobe Estate. What I did today is just an example. (We) are here to protect civilians, but if a civilian values their life, starting from September 17, 2023, I give them until the end of the month to leave this camp."

Pamol Plantations Plc and the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) are among the companies most affected by the socio-political crisis in the two Anglophone regions of Cameroon (Northwest and Southwest) since late 2016.

Due to this crisis, which led to the shutdown of activities at Pamol Plantations Plc's facilities, nearly 1,700 jobs were lost in this agro-industrial unit between 2018 and 2020. The company also saw an 83.9% decline in its revenue during the period from 2016 to 2018, according to figures from the Technical Commission for the Rehabilitation of Public and Parastatal Sector Enterprises (CTR).