STUDENTS TRAPPED BY ROAD BLOCKS
AS COVID19 TOUGHNENS ANGLO CRISIS
BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM
Someone was right to say that the current coronavirus health crisis has aggravated Cameroon’s existing Anglophone crisis. People in the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions are facing war against viruses on one hand and socio/political crisis on the other hand. Even as examination classes resumed June 1, 2020 in view of exams on June 28th, some students are trapped and cannot get to school because of road blocks. Many others have taken the lengthy expensive track through the West region to catch up study programs in respective educational institutes. This report paints the sorry tale of students in the northwest regjion caught in uncertainty as they are yet to begin school in the heat of a double crisis.
“I am presently in Ndop where I went for holidays after schools were closed in March because of the coronavirus outbreak. I school in Bamenda but I cannot travel because the road linking Bamenda and Ndop has been blocked for weeks now. As I speak to you I am confused because we have just two weeks to begin exams” Marie Claire, form 5 student tells Info Trends in a telephone interview.
“The situation makes me sick. I am supposed to be in Kumbo now for last minute preparations since exams would soon start but I am still in Bamenda because the road in Ndop that leads to Kumbo is blocked. I have the GCE Advanced Level ahead of me which we are starting on the 28th of June so right now I don’t know” said an upper sixth student, opting anonymity.
“I have missed six lessons because our Physics teacher is stock in Ndop and cannot travel” says an upper sixth student in a college in Bamenda.
They and many others held away from school activities by the Anglophone crisis aggravated by the coronavirus disease.
“Nothing is going on here, all shops are sealed, no motorbike or car circulates. People manage to go to farms using short cuts. Famers are suffering more as things like tomatoes and vegetables have all gone bad in the farms as there is no way to transport the things to the market” a farmer narrated
Some people have been forced to travel through alternative but tedious routes to meet up with life. People in Mezam Division of the Northwest just like people in the other regions of the country who must travel to the Bui and Donga-Mantung Divisions at this time are forced to pass through the West region, travelling through Bafoussam, Kutaba, Kutupit, Jakiri and Kumbo at a cost between 15000FCFA to 22000FCFA.
“men in uniform are collecting 1000FCFA from each passenger somewhere between Kutaba and Kutupit. Passengers tried to inquire why they have to pay this amount and they said it is a usual tradition for everybody to pay this amount of money because it is the last check point in the west region. At one point while travelling, we met a gang of armed men who asked us to take off the protective masks against coronavirus which we had on” a traveller tells Info Trends
“I trekked seven hours from Ndop to Bambili before I could get a bus to arrive Bamenda. What I went through on the way was not easy. I was severally stopped by groups of men in different check points. I had to take the risk because I need to catch up with lectures” a university student travelling from Ndop to Bamenda said
Other people are reported to have footed a journey from Ndop until they reached the town of Babanki before being able to get a bus.
Since May 20, 2020, a road is reportedly being blocked along the Ndop highway due to a conflict between none state armed groups and government actors in Ngoketunjia Division. The said road links the area to other divisions including Mezam, Bui and Donga - Mantung divisions.
Sources say the road was blocked because administrative and municipal authorities in the area warned the population against respecting ghost towns imposed by none state fighters. Local traders had their shops sealed for daring against government rules. This sparked outrage among the pro independent fighters who have imposed a shutdown in the area.
On Wednesday March 18th 2020, government closed schools in Cameroon in the effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Students were sent home with the hope of resuming when the situation would have normalised. Government reopened schools for examination classes on June 1, 2020. However it would be noticed that a number of candidates for end of course exams in the crisis stricken parts of Cameroon are still to resume school. They are those who went on break as schools were halted by a national order in the wake of facing the coronavirus disease. They are now wobbling in distress, crying for a way out to meet other classmates who already resumed as schools reopened.
An online story published by the news site - Data Cameroon affirmatively states that “coronavirus has not diminished deadly attacks in the Northwest region” The report goes ahead to note that contrary to reports by international media organs like Crux and BBC, coronavirus has not stopped attacks by separatist fighters and government forces “we also note that none state armed fighters are increasing the method of attack on the ground”
At press time, Info Trends was informed that a road along the town of Bali, in Mezam Division had been blocked, a road which links the road network to Mamfe, Bamenda and several other destinations around the area.
AS COVID19 TOUGHNENS ANGLO CRISIS
BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM
Someone was right to say that the current coronavirus health crisis has aggravated Cameroon’s existing Anglophone crisis. People in the country’s Northwest and Southwest regions are facing war against viruses on one hand and socio/political crisis on the other hand. Even as examination classes resumed June 1, 2020 in view of exams on June 28th, some students are trapped and cannot get to school because of road blocks. Many others have taken the lengthy expensive track through the West region to catch up study programs in respective educational institutes. This report paints the sorry tale of students in the northwest regjion caught in uncertainty as they are yet to begin school in the heat of a double crisis.
“I am presently in Ndop where I went for holidays after schools were closed in March because of the coronavirus outbreak. I school in Bamenda but I cannot travel because the road linking Bamenda and Ndop has been blocked for weeks now. As I speak to you I am confused because we have just two weeks to begin exams” Marie Claire, form 5 student tells Info Trends in a telephone interview.
“The situation makes me sick. I am supposed to be in Kumbo now for last minute preparations since exams would soon start but I am still in Bamenda because the road in Ndop that leads to Kumbo is blocked. I have the GCE Advanced Level ahead of me which we are starting on the 28th of June so right now I don’t know” said an upper sixth student, opting anonymity.
“I have missed six lessons because our Physics teacher is stock in Ndop and cannot travel” says an upper sixth student in a college in Bamenda.
They and many others held away from school activities by the Anglophone crisis aggravated by the coronavirus disease.
“Nothing is going on here, all shops are sealed, no motorbike or car circulates. People manage to go to farms using short cuts. Famers are suffering more as things like tomatoes and vegetables have all gone bad in the farms as there is no way to transport the things to the market” a farmer narrated
Some people have been forced to travel through alternative but tedious routes to meet up with life. People in Mezam Division of the Northwest just like people in the other regions of the country who must travel to the Bui and Donga-Mantung Divisions at this time are forced to pass through the West region, travelling through Bafoussam, Kutaba, Kutupit, Jakiri and Kumbo at a cost between 15000FCFA to 22000FCFA.
“men in uniform are collecting 1000FCFA from each passenger somewhere between Kutaba and Kutupit. Passengers tried to inquire why they have to pay this amount and they said it is a usual tradition for everybody to pay this amount of money because it is the last check point in the west region. At one point while travelling, we met a gang of armed men who asked us to take off the protective masks against coronavirus which we had on” a traveller tells Info Trends
“I trekked seven hours from Ndop to Bambili before I could get a bus to arrive Bamenda. What I went through on the way was not easy. I was severally stopped by groups of men in different check points. I had to take the risk because I need to catch up with lectures” a university student travelling from Ndop to Bamenda said
Other people are reported to have footed a journey from Ndop until they reached the town of Babanki before being able to get a bus.
Since May 20, 2020, a road is reportedly being blocked along the Ndop highway due to a conflict between none state armed groups and government actors in Ngoketunjia Division. The said road links the area to other divisions including Mezam, Bui and Donga - Mantung divisions.
Sources say the road was blocked because administrative and municipal authorities in the area warned the population against respecting ghost towns imposed by none state fighters. Local traders had their shops sealed for daring against government rules. This sparked outrage among the pro independent fighters who have imposed a shutdown in the area.
On Wednesday March 18th 2020, government closed schools in Cameroon in the effort to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Students were sent home with the hope of resuming when the situation would have normalised. Government reopened schools for examination classes on June 1, 2020. However it would be noticed that a number of candidates for end of course exams in the crisis stricken parts of Cameroon are still to resume school. They are those who went on break as schools were halted by a national order in the wake of facing the coronavirus disease. They are now wobbling in distress, crying for a way out to meet other classmates who already resumed as schools reopened.
An online story published by the news site - Data Cameroon affirmatively states that “coronavirus has not diminished deadly attacks in the Northwest region” The report goes ahead to note that contrary to reports by international media organs like Crux and BBC, coronavirus has not stopped attacks by separatist fighters and government forces “we also note that none state armed fighters are increasing the method of attack on the ground”
At press time, Info Trends was informed that a road along the town of Bali, in Mezam Division had been blocked, a road which links the road network to Mamfe, Bamenda and several other destinations around the area.
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