By Njoh Linda
The streets of Bamenda today witnessed the distribution of rice and blankets by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, in a move that raised more questions than gratitude.
What was presented as a lifeline to vulnerable people in the conflict-hit North West quickly took the shape of a political rally in favor of President Paul Biya, the CPDM candidate in the October 12 presidential election.
Standing before the gathered crowd, the MINAT boss declared: “For the next one month, we will distribute food and fuel coming from President Paul Biya and Mama Chantal Biya. The future of Bamenda and the North West region is with President Paul Biya.”
Yet, the bags of rice carried a very different message: “Gift from the people and government of the Republic of India.”
This contradiction has left critics outraged. The rice and blankets, part of a 1,000-tonne humanitarian donation from India, were originally earmarked for flood victims in the Far North region and other communities devastated by natural disasters.
Instead, the supplies were diverted hundreds of kilometers away and repackaged as a political blessing from the First Couple.
Analysts say this is not only a distortion of international goodwill but also a deliberate attempt to manipulate the hardships of Bamenda residents, who have endured years of conflict, economic suffocation, and displacement.
“How do you explain that a gift clearly labeled from India suddenly becomes a tool for campaigning for President Biya?” an observer asked. “This is an insult both to the people of Cameroon and to the donors who genuinely extended solidarity.”
The incident also underscores a broader pattern of politicizing aid in Cameroon.
By linking humanitarian assistance to political loyalty, authorities risk deepening mistrust between the population and government institutions, especially in the crisis-hit North West and South West regions where anger against Yaounde remains palpable.
For many in Bamenda, today’s spectacle was less about relief and more about political theater, a moment where desperation was exploited to project loyalty to a president whose four-decade rule is increasingly being challenged.
What remains unanswered is whether the flood victims of the Far North, those for whom the rice was intended will ever see a single grain of this international gift.
