By MOMA SANDRINE
The town of Bali is gradually gaining steam after weeks of unrest, following the death of two alleged amba fighters. Over the past weeks, Bali suffered series of gun battles between separatist fighters and the military, coupled with road blockages that prevented people from moving in or out of the town.
Some inhabitants complained that the gun battles forced them to spend some nights in the bushes: “There are days that the sounds of gunshots are really deafening. Sometimes we are told not to sleep in the house, giving us the impression that the bushes might be safer. In such circumstances, we are left with no choice than to leave for the bushes which we consider safe havens. My children are already used to the situation. When there are ongoing gunshot exchanges, they lie flat in the furrows of the farm where we are seeking refuge”, a denizen explained to The SUN.
When news filtered out that an ‘ambazonian general’ in Bali had been killed by the military, tension gradually reduced. It was rumoured that there was an in house fighting within the ambazonian camp in Bali. One of the ambazonian fighters by name Koraman was suspected to have been a sellout. He was suspected to have sold out one of the ambazonian generals in Bali by name Acid, which resulted to his being killed by the military. To this effect, other members of the camp after finding Koraman guilty of the allegation are said to have buried him alive.
After the incident, the separatist fighters declared every Saturday a day of mourning, for all those living in Bali. On this day, inhabitants of the town are forced to stay indoors. Commercial vehicles are also forbidden from plying the roads.
Inhabitants have however said that there has been relative calm in Bali since the death of these ambazonian fighters. “Acid as we got his name was considered one of the most dreaded ambazonian generals in the area and his death seemingly dealt a big blow to the other fighters. Since he died, we have experienced some degree of calmness. In fact we now go for days without hearing the sound of gunshots”, a residual of the area who pleaded anonymity explained.
Aside from the usual Mondays that are observed as a sit down day and Saturday that has been imposed on inhabitants of Bali by separatist fighters, life is gradually returning to normal in Bali. Some business persons that had shut the doors of their business places have begun summoning courage and reopening once more.