Reports from
different parts of the restive Northwest region indicate that life is becoming
more difficult for many following a drop in basic supplies as the ongoing
crisis in the region persist.
Reports from Nkambe Donga Matung Divisional
Headquarters talk of no electricity supply for over two weeks now. This has put
off many electricity dependent businesses like cool stores thus leading to the
absence of basic foodstuff like fish, meat or chicken. 
Not just has
airtime been difficult to get due to the blocking of major entrances into this
city been the challenge in the area of telecommunications, making a call out of
or to the Nkambe has also become a major.
“We have
been in darkness and without MTN and Orange network for two weeks now. The only
surviving network is Nextel. With the adverse situation, no one is saying
anything. No portable water for the Nkambe city dwellers.” A reporter who will
not want to be name tells me.
The reporter
details in our conversation that “civil servants are going through untold
hardship as circulation too is another terrible dream. I visited the Nkambe
district hospital and was told drugs were not enough to meet up with the demand
of the patients.”
It is a
similar situation in Wum Menchum Division where a local administrator confirmed
that “electricity only returned here again on the 2nd of October
after one month. MTN network just returned as well to us but fluctuates and not
all parts of Menchum have electricity. In case the electricity blinks MTN goes
off too.”
“Here in
Momo our difficulty is about basic supplies for household use. A few retailers
here have increased the price of everything. Life is difficult for everyone.
The retailers say they can’t get supplies from Bamenda or other places because
of transportation difficulty. Even our palm wine cannot be transported to
Bamenda for sale and so we have much of it here with no one buying.” A
municipal councilor tells this reporter on phone. It should be recalled that Momo became the
battle ground for the crisis just like Boyo where we are told hostilities have reduced
but the place remains largely deserted.
“You will
not imagine I could not get oranges in Nkwen and the explanation I was given is
that, roads have been blocked and orange no longer comes to town?” A nursing
mother tells this reporter in anger.
Money
transfer services have almost become impossibility in Bamenda. “Sir I can’t do
a deposit of 20.000 FRS for you because I don’t have float for more than that.”
Money transfer argent tells this reporter around mile two. A majority of the
money transfer roadside boxes have remained close for over two weeks now. The
few left are involved in petty cash transactions between 1000 and 2000 FRS.
This
hardship has been further amplified by the fact that the entire region has been
under a compulsory lockdown for the past five with travelling into and out of
the region almost impossibility. We
gathered that the lockdown has been engineered by those who want to interrupt
the organization of the presidential elections in the region come October
7.