Anglophone Crisis

The Unprecedented Destruction and Stagnation of A Region

-The Case of Bali Subdivision

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

The most dreadful outcome of the Anglophone Crisis besides the loss of thousands of human lives is the destruction of property and the stagnation of development initiatives in the affected Regions. As the war rages on, a close look at the “programmed destruction” has pushed many quarters to question the raison d’être behind all of it irrespective of the side of the coin uttering the question.

This writer decided to begin this survey by taking a close look at the Bali Sub Division in Mezam in the North West Region.

While it is an established fact that the Crisis started as a result of genuine grievances presented by Lawyers and Teachers of English expression among which was marginalisation of Anglophone Cameroonians, it is also a fact that the present atrocities being committed by the warring parties have no justification what so ever.

Let’s take a look at Bali. The seeming tussle for power between the “Non state armed groups” generally referred to as Separatist Fighters and Government Authorities represented on the ground by the Regular Army have left the vulnerable populations of Bali in a very precarious situation.  It is no hidden fact that Bali is home to an impressive presence of Separatist Fighters. As a result, they have a reasonable control over the area. However they have not been saints throughout.  They call the shots as far as the life of the common man is concerned and have carried out their own fair share of kidnappings, tortures, killings amongst others.

With their presence there, the military is bound to come knocking. One would expect the military to be very professional but that has not always been the case. As a result, houses have been razed to the ground during military operations as they hunt amba fighters.

For security reasons a few months ago Government Authorities in Mezam Division banned the movement of motorcycles in the area.  In retaliation, the Separatists completely banned the movement of vehicles between Bali and Bamenda. Bali was grounded and many observers felt it was some sort of a hidden agenda to destroy Bali by non indigenous people.

The ensuing suffering on the people was immeasurable. Crops were transported in wheel barrows or “trucks” from Bali to Bamenda under scary security situations. Economically, hundreds of millions were lost. The destruction and stagnation could not get worse.  

In the face of all these troubles the Government didn’t and has not indicated any intention of breaking the stalemate with a change of approach. On the other side of the coin, Separatist leaders in the Diaspora have been fanning pro-secessionist slogans chanting that Anglophones should settle for nothing short of separation. Between these two extreme dichotomies is the stranded population.

The Presbyterian Church in Bali got roped in when there was a friction between the PCC and the Separatists due to utterances by the Moderator that didn’t go down well with the latter. The church was practically stopped from operating in Bali.

Things got worse when a PCC Pastor was shot during service in Bali. He survived but a lady who received a bullet in the chest died instantly. As the dispair picked up steam, accusations were traded. While it was assumed that the shootings had been carried out by the Separatists considering the tensed relationship that existed between the PCC and them the Rev Pastor after recovering declared that he had been shot by the Regular Cameroon Army.

The concentration of atrocities in the Bali Municipality was certainly getting out of hand and everybody who could do something looked on helplessly. The market in Bali is under the control of the amba fighters and the municipal authorities have been collecting no revenues from there.

During the Prime Minister’s Peace Mission to the North West Region this reporter learnt that parts of the tarmac of the road in Bali which is one of the best roads in the North West had been cut through and destroyed by unidentified individuals. A few days ago, information reaching this reporter indicated that the mysterious destruction of this recently tarred road that links the North West and the South West is still going on.

The destruction and stagnation is simply gaining grounds and no body can say with certainty who is behind these actions. But what is Clair according to an elite from the area is that the agenda is not only to destroy Bali but to destroy the region.

 

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