Daily life in Bamenda is tightening further as fuel prices climbed above 1,000 CFA francs per litre on Wednesday 29 October 2025. The sharp rise follows the blockage of major road corridors into the city amid post-election unrest across Cameroon.
Transport vehicles from Kumbo, Ndop, Mbengwi and Bafoussam, which serve as key supply lines for food and essential goods, have slowed or halted movement into the city due to sporadic road disruptions, protests and increased security controls.
Bamenda produces very little food on a large scale.. The impact on the local market has therefore been immediate.
“We woke up to fuel at 1,100 francs in some places this morning, How do we work? Even garri is more expensive. Everything is rising.” Shey Emmanuel a commercial motorbike rider in Mile 3 Nkwen.
A loaf of bread that cost 100 francs on Tuesday sold for 125 francs by Wednesday after in Nkwen. Traders at Nkwen Market and Commercial Avenue say prices could rise further if supply routes remain unstable.
“For rice, oil, tomatoes, we depend on trucks. Now trucks are being blocked. Fuel is expensive. When transport costs increase, food prices increase. It is the poor who suffer.” said market vendor Mami Judith at Nkwen Market, rearranging a sack of onions.
Taxi drivers and motorbike riders warn that transport fares will soon rise, adding pressure on residents already stretched by months of insecurity and economic stress.
“Passengers complain, but we cannot work at a loss. We need fuel to survive.” a taxi tells this reporter as we conversed along the mile 2 road
Residents are questioning why Bamenda, which has remained relatively calm following the presidential results, is facing an economic shock driven by unrest elsewhere.
Only days ago, the city’s quiet was seen as a sign of fatigue and a desire for peace after years of conflict. Today, that calm feels heavier, shaped by economic rather than political hardship.
“We are used to hardship. But each time you think things might get better, something comes again.” At Foncha junction, 27-year-old student and shop attendant Frinwie Therese put it regrets.
As tension simmers across Cameroon, Bamenda braces once more, not for gunfire, but for hunger, rising transport costs and the slow, grinding challenges that have shaped life here for nearly a decade.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
Tel: 694 71 85 77
