More than half the city's population of about 400,000 have fled their homes in the last few months, either to safer neighbourhoods or to mainly French-speaking towns and cities unaffected by the conflict.
Protests over the increasing use of French in courts and schools in Cameroon's English-speaking heartlands, the North-West and South-West regions, morphed into violence in 2017.
A security force crackdown led to some English-speaking civilians taking up arms against the government, led by the French-speaking President Paul Biya.
'Shot for smoking marijuana'
Now, the sound of gunfire has become familiar, even to two-year-olds, as has the sight of abandoned corpses on the streets of Bamenda, the city with the biggest English-speaking population in Cameroon.
The image of four boys shot dead by troops just 200m (656ft) from my home has stuck with me.
They were ordinary boys in my neighbourhood who, unfortunately, were caught smoking marijuana, an activity the security forces associate with separatist fighters.
'Lots of kidnappings'
The security forces are also suspicious of teenagers with dreadlocks or those who look unkempt. It is assumed they have come to the city after receiving military training in the bush.
Even stout men arouse suspicion - the logic of the security forces is that if you are well-built, the chances of you being a fighter are greater.
And many parents beg their teenage sons to stop wearing red bandanas or a combination of red and black clothes because the security forces could mistake them for separatist fighters.
The colours are associated with the rebels.
Armed groups have sprouted in Bamenda and neighbouring towns. Some of them are made up of separatist fighters, while others are criminal gangs which have exploited the instability.
It is not always clear who is behind attacks, but there are lots of kidnappings of schoolchildren, politicians and other high-profile personalities who, in most cases, are released after a ransom is paid.
Students 'sneak into schools'
In the latest kidnapping, 80 school pupils, their principal and a teacher were freed after being seized from their school about a week ago.
Separatist fighters denied involvement, but the government blamed them for the abductions.
Tens of thousands of children have been sent by their parents to schools in safer cities and towns.
Separatists have ordered the closure of all schools until the government agrees to hold a referendum on whether the mainly English-speaking regions should become independent.
A few schools have remained open, but attendance has fallen sharply. In schools where there were around 8,000 pupils there are now 700.
The few brave children who still go to school do so surreptitiously. They do not wear uniforms, and stroll down roads as if they are going to the market before sneaking into classrooms.
Last month, an American missionary and a university professor were also killed in the space of three days in Bamenda.
The main mortuary is often full, mostly with the corpses of civilians caught up in the fighting between the separatists and the military.
No neighbourhood is safe, and I cannot remember the last time I visited my friends. It is as though we have been caged. Sometimes, we are forced to stay at home for days because of battles on the streets.
Cameroon - still divided along colonial lines:
Colonised by Germany in 1884
British and French troops force Germans to leave in 1916
Cameroon is split three years later - 80% goes to the French and 20% to the British
French-run Cameroon becomes independent in 1960
Following a referendum, the (British) Southern Cameroons join Cameroon, while Northern Cameroons join English-speaking Nigeria
Complete story line BBC Africa
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