By SAH TERENCE ANIMBOM
Meeting in Bamenda, capital city of the North West Region on Thursday, September 19, 2019 to evaluate the security situation of the region as well as evaluate the distribution of government’s Humanitarian aid to IDPs, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji handed relieve materials to 1,950 IDPs living within the city of Bamenda.
Hundreds of IDPs drawn from over 300 families now displaced and residing in Bamenda city turned out at the premises of the North West governor’s office in their numbers and received government humanitarian assistance comprising mattresses, blankets, buckets, vegetable oil, soap, rice and 10,000 FCFA each to transport themselves home.
IDPS received the aid from government in all happiness and with great expectations from the head of state. Responding to the government aid, the IDPs pleaded through the minister that government should do everything within its powers to see that this crisis which has reduced them to dependent people sometimes considered pests in some of their hosts’ homes, be brought to an end.
It is worth noting that unlike before, IDPs in the city of Bamenda now turn out in their numbers without fear to queue up at the various divisional and sub divisional offices to register and receive humanitarian aid. Government’s Humanitarian Aid taken to other places like Boyo and Menchum has been abandoned to the state, as persons living within the communities have been severely threatened by Ambazonia restoration fighters not to go anywhere near the distribution of government’s humanitarian aid.
Also on the agenda of his visit was the subject of the major national dialogue announced by the head of state on September 10, 2019. To the MINAT boss, the major national dialogue is a good opportunity for every Cameroonian to express himself so as to seek a solution to lasting peace. He urged those who will be going to the dialogue table from the region to be very constructive in their presentations. “My handing of the peace plant to the IDPs here today is a clear message of peace from the head of state. It is to say that we want peace to reign. You heard for yourselves in the head of state’s speech that he was still making the call for the boys in the bushes to lay down their arms and benefit from the clemency of the state by joining the DDR centers.” He said.
Evaluating the security situation of the region, the minister and his regional collaborators spoke on the need to beef up security of persons; especially students and pupils so as to ensure that schools in the region can run on smoothly and effectively. They also spoke on the social media video that emerged last week showing supposed Amba boys shooting and burying a woman in a narrow grave in a location said to be Guzang in Batibo sub division.