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By Beng Humphrey
A Delegation from the Prime Minister’s Office in Yaounde on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, visited the Bamenda DDR Centre and handed a sum of FCFA 3 million to ex-fighters to quench the grievances that led them to strike on Monday 15th February 2021, against “fake and unfulfilled promises” earlier made to them by the government.
We are told the Inter-Ministerial Delegation which was led by Gillets Nkwain Ngam first had a brief meeting with the Governor of the Northwest Region, Adolphe Lele Lafrique before proceeding to the DDR Centre where actions to commence the reintegration process of some ex-fighters was disclosed.
During the meeting, a source told this reporter, the sum of FCFA one million was handed to the Regional Coordinator of the Centre, Gabsa Sixtus to use in the follow-up of the acquisition of identity cards for the ex-fighters.
The Nkwain-headed delegation that met with the ex-fighters of the DDR Centre in Bamenda on instructions of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute was composed of representatives from four other Ministries – Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industry; Agriculture and Rural Development, Youth Affairs and Civic Education, and the Ministry of Territorial Administration. The said Ministries are said to be directly concerned with the welfare of the ex-fighters.
Speaking to the now calm ex-combatants, the head of mission told them that, “We have come in a delegation, to reassure you of the commitment of the Prime Minister, Head of Government in your welfare. The Prime Minister has said he is committed and likes to ensure you are happy, now and tomorrow. The intention is not only to make sure you are recruited when you leave this place but also to ensure that you can recruit some people.”
It should be noted the meeting of the Yaounde delegation with the ex-combatants at the Bamenda DDR Centre came the same day when the Governor of the Northwest Region was to meet with the striking former fighters to receive their documented worries and grievances.
Though marveled at the gesture of the government to fasten their reintegration, the now appeased striking ex-combatants did not fail to hand a document containing their requests to the Governor, who then transferred it to the head of mission from Yaoundé, to be forwarded to hierarchy.
“The Prime Minister said he knows graduation for some of you is being scheduled to leave the Centre. For some of you to go out and start, you need some basic identification documents and the Prime Minister gave a sum of 1 million CFA francs to assist in the production of your identity cards,” the ex-fighters were told by the head of mission.
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