Blackouts in K-Town:

Kumba to Celebrate Christmas in Darkness? 

By Doh Bertrand Nua in Kumba

Gov’t packages Relief Aid for IDPs in Kumba

Recurrent gun battles along the Kumba-Buea highway axis pitting pro-independence fighters and elements of the Cameroon military have been blamed for the constant destruction of electricity poles and other electric equipment that renders the town of Kumba and other neighbouring localities in darkness for days.

                The constant power outage according to the Meme administration and some ENEO sources in Kumba is consequence of the frequent gun battles along the highway. For close to a week, the town of Kumba, the economic hub of the Southwest Region was left in complete darkness.

                Though the administration blames the destruction of the ENEO equipment on Ambazonia fighters, some Kumba city dwellers and users of the said road axis have blamed it on the security forces. These Kumba inhabitants revealed the type of guns used by the separatists fighters along the road cannot destroy giant ENEO transformers. To them, the equipment might have be destroyed by the military during their sporadic shootings while confronting separatists fighters.

                The constant power outage has paralysed economic activities and grounded the economy of the entire town. Dealers in perishable goods like cold store owners cried out heavy losses as a result of the blackout.

                Acquisition of documents from some administrative offices, ID card production in some security posts in Kumba were grounded because of lack of generators.

The constant power failure has put many generator owners into brisk business as Kumba inhabitants were forced to pay FCFA 200 and 500 to charge either phones or laptops.

                In the midst of the epileptic power supply in Kumba, the SDO, Chamberlin Ntou’ou Ndong has revealed he has forwarded a request to government for the provision of a giant generator that can light up Kumba in days of blackout.