Jubilation sparked off in Kumbo, headquarters of Bui Division in the North West, last weekend following the return of the Fon of Nso, HRH Semh Mbinglo, one of the prominent traditional monarchs in the Region.
The traditional ruler received a hero’s welcome at his palace on Saturday, December 16, marking his return from a lengthy sojourn in Yaounde.
Fon Mbinglo was deemed to have relocated to the nation’s capital because of the ongoing armed conflict in the North West and South West Regions.
The crisis has devastated traditional institutions in the two regions, including the Nso Fondom, with Fon Sehm Mbinglo facing numerous threats from separatists for his alleged political alignment with the Cameroon government.
His return from Yaounde sparked celebration among his kinmen.
Natives performed traditional rituals, including animal sacrifices and mourning rites, to welcome the revered monarch.
A royal summons was also held at the Nso palace in Kumbo, where notable individuals got recognised and rewarded for their hard work, while others got reprimanded according to the customs of Nsoland.
The unprecedented return of Fon Semh Mbinglo has renewed the hopes of many sons and daughters of Nso and given them the assurance that they are not without a shepherd in the face of the devastating Anglophone Crisis.
Ben Fai, a Nso native, said, “The return to the Nso palace of the Fon of Nso has brought in many changes, such as the opening of the royal and nonroyal death celebrations within the Kingdom.”
According to him, rituals that are performed exclusively by the Fon will now resume after a long pause.
“It will be a very good thing if we, as Nso leave this important move in a low-key tune while praying for peace to return to our land. Keep away provocation on one side for we all have suffered a lot,” he noted.
Before taking a recess to Yaounde, Fon Sehm Binglo had been one of the scores of traditional rulers in the Anglophone Regions who have been victimized during the crisis.
The influential traditional ruler was abducted by Ambazonia separatist fighters on Thursday, November 5, 2020, alongside the late Christian Cardinal Tumi.
Also, on December 16, 2022, a group of Nso traditional notables was abducted by separatist fighters in the locality of Sob and taken to an unknown destination.
Although they were later freed, their abduction was another grim episode of the plethora of attacks committed against traditional institutions in the Anglophone Regions during over six years of armed conflict.
Mimi Mefo Info
