Peace & Reconciliation Effort:

Gov’t to Rebuild Burnt Down Villages in Meme?

- Meme SDO requests for inventory of burnt houses and other property from Chiefs

- Also urges chiefs to return to their villages and to subjects to return from the bushes

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Meme Chiefs tell SDO their villages have been taken over by Ambazonia fighters

The Senior Divisional Officer of Meme has instructed Chiefs across Meme Division to all discern to their villages and do a thorough evaluation of all destroyed property and hand the list to him for onward transmission to the Yaounde regime.                                                           Chamberlin Ntou’ouNdong was speaking shortly after a crisis consultation meeting with Chiefs of Meme division at the auditorium of his office Wednesday April 4, 2018.

            “We are going to make a general estimate and forward the complete bill to the head of state,” Ntou’ou Ndong said, recalling that it was the same situation in the Bakassi peninsular some years back when he was SDO for Ndian and the Head of State constructed “Shell Creek” and today it is one of the most beautiful villages in the Division. The Meme chief executive said he trusts the Head of State will do the same for the affected villages in Meme.

            The SDO also urged the chiefs who have fled their villages to go back and sensitize their subjects who have taken refuge in the bushes to return home.

            “All the chiefs have to go back to their villages. They should go and discuss with the kingmakers to sensitize the population to put in place vigilance committees to facilitate the action of the state,” Ntou’ou instructed.

            The chiefs on their part told the SDO that they cannot return to the villages when the insecurity is still rife and when government has not brought the violence and killings under control.

            In reaction the SDO noted that the first persons to secure the population of villages are the chiefs. He said the forces of law and order will be deployed to more villages to keep the separatist fighters at bay.

Participants at the consultation meeting noted that if nothing is done to arrest the current crisis, it may stall the construction of roads and other developments projects not only in Meme but in Ndian Division as well.