hadhwanaag
Cameroon governors say
several thousand of the 750,000 people displaced by the separatist conflict in
two western regions are returning home for the first time since hostilities
began in 2017. The military says no major separatist attack has been reported within
the past six weeks, an indication that peace is returning to the regions where
3,500 people have been killed in five years.
Several hundred people
wait at a motor park in Cameroon's capital Yaounde to be transported to
Bamenda. Bamenda is the capital of Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest
region, one of two where separatists have been fighting the government for the
past five years.
Cameroon police say it
is the first time in several years that so many people are travelling to
Bamenda.
Benedict Ndi is a
44-year-old teacher who is travelling with his wife and four children. Ndi says
from Bamenda, his family will continue to his village, Ndop, located 70
kilometers to the north of Bamenda.
Ndi says last week, he
went to Ndop to confirm that peace is returning before traveling with his wife
and children.
"It was very scary
seeing signs of bullets on a lot of buildings but amazingly, surprisingly
people are having fun, during the day there is business," Ndi said.
"There is a lot of movement. I talked to a few men and they are happy that
now there is some peace, there is some calm. They can now work and take care of
their families."
Cameroon's unrest began
in 2017 after a government crackdown on peaceful protests led by
English-speaking lawyers and teachers who complained of being marginalized by
the French-speaking majority.
Now, officials say the
violence is dying down, making it safe for displaced residents in the Northwest
and Southwests to go home.
Deben Tchoffo is the
governor of the Northwest region. He says besides displaced children, merchants
and government workers who fled separatist atrocities are returning to their towns
and villages.
"The security
situation has improved a lot allowing many people to come back to their various
villages," Tchoffo said. "The diaspora are also coming back to
celebrate their weddings. The administration is functioning very well. The traditional
rulers are coming back, political activities have resumed in many areas.
Globally, the Northwest is faring well."
Cameroon’s government
says thousands of people are also returning to the restive Southwest region.
The region's governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai says civilians who are returning
are finding peace.
He says no major
separatist attack has been reported in Cameroon's Southwestern region within
the past six weeks.
Bilai says the
separatists’ ability to attack has been greatly weakened by Cameroon’s military
with the support of civilians.
"After five years,
families are coming back," said Bilai.T "he population in most of the
areas are the ones arresting some terrorists, helping us to seize weapons. They
are the ones inviting the forces of law and order, to say this man is a
suspect."
Bilai said people whose
houses have been destroyed should inform local administrators. The government
says the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the
English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions has funds to rebuild destroyed
houses.
The reconstruction and
development plan envisions construction of roads, schools, hospitals, public
edifices, markets, private homes and villages in areas destroyed in fighting.
On social media
platforms including WhatsApp and Facebook, separatists groups deny that their
firepower has been reduced by the military. They say they have asked fighters
to reduce attacks on the military so civilians can celebrate Christmas.
VOA
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