Cameroon: Separate Govt, Separatist Bans Frustrate Life, Business

Bamenda now has a double identity standard. Streets void of people who seem to be loyal to the calls for ghost towns by Ambazonian Separatist Leaders and administrative ban on night life.

A Bamenda man has in the past twelve months learnt many things among which is the word curfew. Since the 10th of February 2018, people have been completely restricted from night movements in the Northwest Region. In the month of August, the time of the restriction was added. It was a taboo for a human to be out between 6pm to 6am.

NW Governor's release extending curfew

This was the most traumatized period until November 24th when the time was modified for the restriction to start at 9pm.
In all of these alternations, the effects are enormous to the common population.

Doh Christel is the Deputy Manager of one of the most popular Snack Bars in Bamenda known as Dreamland found in Bamenda III subdivisin. In an interview with this reporter, she explains that:

 "The curfew has almost rendered me

Doh Christel Deputy manager Dreamland Snack. 

jobless. People use to effectively come here as from 11pm and only go back at 5am but it is a different story now. Even when the curfew is announced for 9pm, it takes effect just immediately. How do you expect someone to cope with such? The governor said 9 but before 8pm the police are chasing people out of my place, so people are even scared and afraid. See how emty my place is. Our salaries since May 2018 was reduced by 15%. Some workers paid off. It's a sad situation."

In the past, buses used to live town at 10pm for night journeys but this time, they kick off as early as 5pm at least and 7pm at most.

Abimnui Franca (Trader) 

Abimnui Franca is a trader "Buyam Seller" who frequently travels to Bamenda.  She makes her living by buying vegetable in Bamenda and distributing in Yaoundé, as she narrates, "my main town is Yaounde and I usually travel to Bamenda through night journeys but now, traveling to Bamenda by  night is difficult because at  the checkpoint at Santa, we are always stopped to wait for about 2hours or more until it is 6o'clock before we enter. It makes it difficult for me since i usually buy my market items as early as 6am fresh from the farms. Same night I'm off back to Yaounde"

To make a bad situation worst,  an administrator in Ndop restricts inhabitants with a prefectoral order

Release from SDO Ngoketunjia

from farming in some major areas in his area of command. This decision will go a long way to starve citizens who may only have farms at the restricted areas.

Talking to a senior administrator of the region who wished to remain anonymous and inline with what the governor of the region will always say,  all these efforts are to protect citizens and their properties.

No one knows when all these will end but it is the wish of many to get back to a normal life less of restrictions.

Ambe Macmillian Awa.
PJ Advocate.