Following a lockdown instituted by separatists in the Anglophone regions, key towns like Bamenda, Buea and Kumba have for some time now been very quiet with most people indoors.
This has left streets empty as just a few persons in Buea can be seen outside, probably for the fear of having their businesses sealed.
The only sound we could get in Bamenda are sounds of gunshots in areas like Bambui, Mile 90, Alabukam, Ombe and many other neighborhoods far away from the city center. Heavy gunshots were also reported in Santa, Mezam Division, North West Region this Friday September 13, 2019.
“It’s not easy here in Santa now, serious shooting still going on,” a source told Mimi Mefo Info at 8:00 this morning. The number of casualties remains unknown.
This uneasy calm reigns in both regions despite the president’s speech last Tuesday September 10th in which he called for National Dialogue.
While others think he was nearly defensive in nature, others say he was trying to blindfold the people with the term dialogue.
“How can he ask a question about who will he dialogue with and at the same time talk about dialogue at the end of the month? I really wonder what is meant by ‘dialogue’ when people are being killed every day by the military sent by the same man talking about dialogue,” said a taxi driver.
Another trader in the Bamenda Main Market said he is not in agreement with the term national dialogue because “we have the anglophone problem at hand with life in other parts of the country going on normally so it should be between the government and Anglophones not a national dialogue.”
“It is a strategy to arrest more people during the dialogue process; that is anyone against the government, given that the dialogue will be taking place within Cameroon and with no mediator,” said a Bamenda-based teacher.
Restoration forces on their part say they will “become more radical and will fight until they gain independence, because President Paul Biya promised to crush them”.
The question on the lips of many however is ‘how sincere is this dialogue?’
Mimi Mefo info
