Bali locals resort to trekking as bike/car circulation banned

Activities have been grounded for more than a week now following a ban of movement of bikes and vehicles in Bali by the Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam, Simon Emile Moor and Separatist fighters operating in the area.

This has caused many to resort to their feet as a means of movement in and out of Bali.

Many especially women have been seen covering a distance of about 13 km from Bali to Bamenda on foot.
Talking to Mimi Mefo Info, MMI one of the ladies said, men are afraid to trek because they may be targeted by the Cameroon military who may take them for separatist fighters as the case has always been.

” We trekked from Munung, a quarter in Bali and only borded a taxi after mile 90 Nsongwa. We were able to get to Bamenda because we are women. Trust me when I say this, men will find it difficult on that road because they can even be shot and killed by the military, they hate to see men and young boys in Bali, they have tagged them already,” one of the women told MMI.

The sick have not been having it easy especially those whose medication come from the town of Bamenda and those who have appointments with their doctors in Bamenda and beyond.
Many have gone without their medication because they could not trek and have no one to do the trekking on their behalf while a few have been lucky.

“I am diabetic, my medicine got finished about a forth night ago. I had plans to travel last Thursday for them. Little did I know this calamity was going to befall the transport sector. Thanks to my son who took a vehicle to Mbengwi and trekked from there to Bail, i have been able to have my drugs after days without them,”
Some of those that have not been able to use their feet to Bamenda fall under the category of those who have items like food stuff to sell to sell out of Bali.

They say they cannot carry buckets of garri, bags of maize, bunches of plantain among others on their heads and trek with.

The recent outing by the Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam which was followed by that of Separatist fighters in Bali on Monday July 21 disalowing movement of bikes and vehicles came days after five Police Officers were killed in an armbush carried out by armed men fighting to create a country they call Ambazonia.
The attack took place on Sunday July 19 2021 at T-Junction in Njenka Haussa, Bali.

In the Order signed on that Monday 20 July, the S.D.O said the prohibition will last for three months renewable.
It was same thing that was said by the armed men when they responded to the SDO’s outing by banning the movement of vehicles.

Many are now hoping that, both sides will go back to their decisions and spare the citizens the pain and hardship brought on them by the ongoing war rocking the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon.