Soldiers create ‘harassment’ point at Babadjou after closure of Matazem checkpoint

News of the unmounted Matazem check points have made rounds on social media with many quick to conclude their journeys will be stress free.

They have probably concluded that the 300 meters trek across two checkpoints located in two different regions was the most stressful part of their journey.

Trekking across those checkpoints has stopped since this week but another has been opened just Infront of the Gerndarmerie Babadjou, West Region. Passengers are stressed up more than they can imagine.

Passengers say they don’t only alight to present their Identity cards but are insulted using derogatory words.

Anita is one of those making a trip from Bamenda to Yaounde. It’s her first time to travel since the check points at Matazem were dissolved.

Anita told MMI that she felt she had entered another country where Cameroonians are not liked illegally. She said she took her purse while alighting to present her Identity card to the Gendarmes on duty and only realized her document wasn’t inside. In the course of searching through her pockets, a paper on which she wrote a contact fell off but she didn’t notice.

Another officer sitted away from the control post called her and she went up. As soon as she arrived where he was, she found her Identity and presented. After checking the officer said ” Ramaçer c’est que tu à jetée là Bas” before she could understand what he meant, insults followed.

The officer continued in french “‘une salle fille, salle comme le chien, tu viens jeter les choses ici?’ I felt like I was illegally holding a Cameroonian document” she added.

It’s just like “hot potato in the hands of travellers, there is nothing relieving about the dissolved matazem check points” says Anye, one of travellers from Bamenda to Buea.

These two experiences capture the new ordeal of passengers either moving into of out of Bamenda from other parts of the country.

* Names of passengers have been changed to protect them from further harassment.

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