Mbengwi Breathes, Momo Division Regains Life

Mbengwi Breathes, Momo Division Regains Life

The Momo Divisional Headquaters, Mbengwi in the North West Region of Cameroon is reported to be speedily regaining its normal life. In the advent of the escalation of the current sociopolitical impasse in the two English speaking regions of the country, inhabitants who escaped to other areas for safety due to fear of the unknown and insecurity have been returning to regain their daily activities. At the Mbon Motor Park, Mile 18 Mbengwi, the economic hub of the sub division, its business as usual. Peddlers have been crisscrossing the streets with their goods, township taxis and commercial motor bikes are back on the bumpy roads.

A Bird's Eye View of Mbon Motor Park on a Normal Day

Tanah Felix has been earning a living out of bike ridding in Mbengwi for over five years now. To him, as compared to the recent past, things are getting better especially as he can now access bush roads that were hitherto blocked. "I can now make about 5.000F a day." he said. It should be recalled that prior to the last presidential election of October 7th 2018, all the major roads into and out of the 31 villages that make up the Meta Clan in Mbengwi were blocked with tree trunks by separatist fighters. The transport sector was completely grounded. Business came to a standstill.

Tanah Felix, Commercial Motor Bike Ridder

Mah Roseline is a trader in the Mbon Main Market, Mbengwi. She opined that business is still timid as many persons are still in the bushes. "We used to close at 6 O'Clock but because of the curfew, at times we start packing by 4pm" she said and wished that the regional governor could lift the dusk to dawn curfew he imposed so that business can boom again. "It's not even showing that we are in December" she ended. As if she was being heard in high offices, the N.W Regional Governor, Lele Lafrique on Saturday November 24th 2018 signed an order shifting the commencement time of the security restriction that was placed on the movement of persons and goods within the region from 6pm to 9pm. This was applauded in several quarters especially as they had been loud cries from citizens for the regional boss to readjust the curfew time.

Mah Roseline, Businesswoman

Tata Erasmus, another Mbengwi based businessman, castigated propagators of fake news on social media about insecurity in Mbengwi. To him, quite often fake news is spread online that Mbengwi is deserted meanwhile normal life is on going. He affirmed that life in Mbengwi is livable yet propagators of fake news keep blowing false alarms of how the town is unlivable. On November 22nd, one of the fake news that was spread on WhatsApp groups read thus:

ALERT MBENGWI

8 LRC mil. trucks stationed dere now ready 2 attack all camps. Pple along the tracks, go away NOW

But from investigations, according to administrative sources, some military trucks actually entered Mbengwi on the said day to carry away the household items of some uniform elements that had been redeployed out of Mbengwi and not for any attack per se. Tata Erasmus however admitted that life is still somehow difficult. He said, "There are days we get up and hear gunshots. We simply close our shops and return home. There are days life goes on normally."

Tata Erasmus, Businessman

The return to normalcy is not only centralised within Mbengwi town. Down in the suburbs, life is reported to also be regaining steam there. The historic Tad market in Nyen village, located about some 5km from the divisional headquarters is said to be bouncing back. The market stopped functioning about six months back after human and material losses were recorded when government troops engaged separatist fighters in serious gun battles. Tad market was the battle ground.

"Compared to other places I've been to like Fundong and Wum, I'll say life in Mbengwi is calm." This is the view of Evangelist Abanda Edwin,  a resident who added that the rumours on social media are not quite accurate because so far, people have been able to open their stores and carry on their normal daily activities unperturbed. He alluded this serenity to the good governance of the Senior Divisional Officer for Momo and his administration. He regretted that there are still many uninhabited compounds within the sub division whose initial occupants have abandoned not because of any real security threat but rather because of fright caused by blowers of false alarms on the internet. "We have been here since the crisis started and we are still alive and strong. Despite the relative peace and problems that we have here and there, compared to other places, we are thanking God the situation is calming down while hoping for the much needed peace that we've been crying for to come in few days or months." he added. Asked if he feels secured in Mbengwi, he responded in the affirmative. This he justified by saying he's able to walk around freely and go about his normal life with neither any uniform officer accompanying him nor anybody disturbing him. "I must say that the peace is relative in the sense that we still have problems but such come up only once in a while and they are often not huge to disturb the whole town but just a part." he ended.

Abanda Edwin, Evangelist

His views were shared by Mr. Nyudze David, a civil servant working at the Momo Divisional Delegation of Basic Education. To him, Mbengwi is regaining its strength as those who had escaped are returning. He corroborated the opinion of Abanda Edwin by adding that this is because of the collaboration between the administration and the military in Mbengwi as opposed to other places where the military is taking the law into its hands and causing havoc thereby frightening many people to escape. Nyudze David confirmed life is better in Mbengwi compared to other areas. He went on to say "The administration gives directives on how the military should operate and that's why there's relative calm and peace." He concluded by testifying that normally, not all who had been displaced will return because some have come across greener pastures in Douala, Yaounde and other towns.

Nyudze David, Civil Servant

Just like in Mbengwi, normal life is reported to also be returning to the other Sub Divisions in Momo Division like Njikwa, Widikum, Batibo, Ngie. Cho Clovis is a  preacher from Andek in Ngie. Painting a picture of how life is in his area, he said its not been easy because all roads are blocked thus making survival difficult. He added that the people are really suffering because they don't have a market as the ones they had before were all destroyed. In a moody tone, he articulated that, "As a pastor, I only hope that God will intervene in this situation and help us because some people are really suffering a lot, not just in Ngie but elsewhere also." On whether or not normalcy is returning to Ngie in the midst of the crisis, he confirmed it is but at a very slow rate because some of the roads that were blocked have been reopened and people are managing to go through even though moving with a lot of fear. "I really wish that normalcy should return. If I'm to give a message to anyone out there from Ngie especially from Andek, I'll advise them to come back home." he ended.

Cho Clovis, Andek-Ngie Inhabitant

As testified by all those  interviewed, the normalcy now reigning is very much cherished and they wished it remains as such forever. The Meta Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon recently joined the rest of her Christians nationwide to commemorate the 61st edition of the P.C.C's independence from the Basel Mission in Switzerland. Two weeks after, the Christian Women Fellowship of the Presbytery met on the school field of the Presbyterian Teacher's Training College Mbengwi for its 2018 annual rally. The massive turnout at these two religious eventd was clearly indicative of the fact that the population is once more feeling comfortable with life at home.

P.C.C Women Rally at Mile 19