Douala residents homeless as authorities begin massive demolition

Some residents of Bessengue, a neighborhood in Douala, Littoral Region of Cameroon have been left homeless following demolition exercise carried out in the area.

The demolition exercise carried out by the Douala I council which was supervised by the 1st assistant Senior Divisional Officer of Wouri took place on January 5, 2023.

Residents of the neighborhood have been decrying the action.

They say they have been living in the area for over forty years, and invested a lot of finances in their houses.

“We entered this area in 1982. Despite the swampy nature of the area, we decided to construct our houses here. We had to put a lot of money, especially when building the foundation,” said a resident of the Bessengue neighborhood and victim of the demolition.

According to Guy Emmanuel, 1st assistant Senior Divisional Officer of Wouri, the destruction is to facilitate the construction of pipelines.

He said,” We can’t construct pipelines and drainage systems on the site. That is the reason why we had to demolish the houses.”

According to him, the pipeline will permit the supply of gas and petrol throughout the entire territory.

By Amina Hilda