Five minutes march past in Tombel
The national day celebrations were nothing to write home
about in many areas across the restive Northwest and Southwest Regions of the
country. This was as a result of threats from ‘Amba’ hit and run boys who
instilled fear in the minds of inhabitants.
In
Tombel in the Kupe Muanenguba Division, the celebration started at 2pm and
lasted for barely five minutes. This was because of heavy gunfire exchange
between Amba boys and government forces. The gun battle lasted for close to
four hours before giving way for the march past that lasted for barely five
minutes and saw only the military marching.
The
deafening gun battle left many inhabitants of Tombel escaping to the bushes
while others fled to nearby Loum in East Cameroon. The Divisional Officer of
Tombel, Leonard Nyam condemned the shooting and called for peace and a return
to normalcy.
Hitch-free march past in Mundemba, Ndian
Despite the poor turnout of the population for the march
past in Mundemba, the events witnessed any major incidents as was the case in
other parts of the Southwest region. Prior to the D-day on 20th May, the SDO
for Ndian, Fowang Lawrence, had organised a sports walk in the town to
sensitize the population on the need for peace and harmony during the events.
Bangem Mayors kidnapped
In Bangem, headquarter of Kupe Muanenguba Division, the
march pass was nothing to write home about. The march pass was marred as news
broke out on Saturday May 19 that the first deputy Mayor of Bangem whose names
we only got as Enongene was kidnapped alongside his Mayor. They were kidnapped
as they went out mobilizing CPDM militants to come out and participate in the
celebrations. The two were only released a day after the celebration.
No March Past in Ekona & Muyuka
In Ekona and Muyuka in Fako Division there was no
celebration at all as clashes between Ambazonia fighters and government forces
forced the populations to run for their lives. We gathered that the DO of
Muyuka sent word to the governor that the town was not secure enough to host
any celebration. A police officer by name Moulong Azang Jean Jacques was
injured in the course of the gun battle, according to reports.
In
Lebialem Division, there are reports of the arrest of the Delegate of Transport
and the deputy Senior Divisional Officer. We got report that no May 20
celebration took place in the area because of the tensed atmosphere.
In the
Northwest region, there were clashes in Santa that led to the death of some
armed separatists in the early hours of the morning. A video circulated on
social media screened forces of law and order jubilating after successfully
overpowering the separatists.
Elsewhere
in Batibo, there was also reported clashes ahead of May 20 celebrations. This
was coupled with a serious ghost town that combined to mar the events.
Konye grandstand & DO’s office burnt
Few days
to the celebration of 20th May, the municipal grandstand in Konye was set
ablaze by yet unidentified persons.
The
grandstand was burnt on the night of Tuesday 15 May breaking Wednesday 16 May
2018. The incident happened barely days after the Divisional Officer of Konye,
Epimba Blessed Ekole presided over a meeting with stakeholders to prepare for
the celebrations.
Meantime,
gun battles were reported between security forces and ‘Ambazonia’ hit and run
boys in Konye on Saturday May 19. Unconfirmed reports said a stray bullet
caught a lady in the cause of the crossfire.
On
thesame Saturday 19 May, the Chief of Matoh Butu, a village in Konye
subdivision, was kidnapped by unknown persons. The chief was abducted after he
participated in the preparatory meeting called by the Konye DO. His abductors
promised to free him only after May 20 celebrations, we learned.
In the
early morning of Sunday 20 May, the Konye DO’s office caught fire. The cause of
the fire was not immediately established. The Meme SDO blamed the fire on
‘Ambazonia’ separatists and promised to storm the area and ensure that peace
returns.
No comments:
Post a Comment