Solidarity with defence forces

Thousands protest Boko Haram in Yaounde
Thousands of people marched in the Capital City Yaounde on Saturday, 28 February 2015 to protest against the Boko Haram insurgency and support the soldiers fighting to defeat the Nigeria-based terrorist group.
    The march was aimed at sensitizing the public, especially in the southern regions, about the threat posed by Boko Haram, which has carried out regular cross-border raids in the far north, the organisers said.
    “We visited the areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency and saw the need to inform Cameroonians especially those living in the southern regions about the horrors visited on our compatriots in the Far North. We also thought it expedient to show solidarity with the soldiers who are risking their lives at the war front in defence of our territorial integrity,” said Fonka Muta Beau-Bernard, a journalist with the state broadcaster, CRTV, who was one of the organizers.
    “Our objective was also to boost the morale of the army by letting them to know that the entire nation is with them,” added Beau-Bernard, who recalled the horror scenes that were revealed to them by soldiers when they travelled to the war zone. Hear him:
    “The people of the Northern regions live in a state of perpetual fear; there you cannot mention Boko Haram in public because you cannot tell whether or not your neighbor is a member of the group. We were shown horrible pictures of the activities of Boko Haram and we thought it expedient to relay this information to the populations down South.”

    Observers said the solidarity march was flooded by government ministers and politicians thus giving it the garb of a political event and not the citizens’ show it was expected to be. Others said the organization was amateurish and the mobilization inadequate. Of an expected turn out of at least 10.000 persons less than 4.000 marked their presence.
    “The event was organized by journalists; I wonder how good journalists can be in organizing public demonstrations. I was not surprised when the army stepped in and took control of the pace of activities,” remarked Roland Wuwih, a TV reporter.
    Another journalist, Franklin Bayen wondered aloud why journalists should be the ones to organize the event in the first place.
    “The role of journalists is to inform and sensitize, and not to organize marches,” Bayen opined, remarking that by leading the event the journalists ran the risk of compromising the principles of neutrality and independence.
    For their part, the organizers expressed satisfaction for “a successful event.”
    “I can only be satisfied especially when I consider the enthusiasm of the different categories of people that turned to march and how they scrambled for the T-shirts and the gadgets we provided,” said Beau-Bernard in discernible elation.  
    It should be mentioned that the violence orchestrated by Boko Haram since its emergence way back in 2009 has caused thousands to flee their homes and villages in most parts of the Far North region. Schools have been forced to close their doors and businesses shut down. Official estimates put the number of displaced persons at about 150.000, while at least 300.00 refugees have poured into Cameroon from northeastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram is seeking to carve out an Islamist state.
    "Some 170 schools in northern Cameroon have been closed because of the hostilities," said Guibai Gatama, publisher of l’oiel du sahel, a newspaper that covers mainly the northern parts of the country.
    Boko Haram in Nigeria has spread to neighbouring countries, where the group has launched attacks over the past year, burning villages and kidnapping residents.
    The Lake Chad region nations threatened by Boko Haram have launched a joint offensive to quell the rebellion.