Forty years after the Lake Nyos disaster claimed close to 1,800 lives and about 3,500 livestock, survivors and descendants have returned home to their village in Menchum Division North West Region of Cameroon to remember the dead and confront the uncomfortable question of what has really changed in Nyos since the tragedy?
The Ruby Jubilee, has brought together traditional authorities, survivors, residents and visitors for commemorative activities at Nyos, a crater lake whose name became known around the world after the catastrophic release of carbon dioxide on that never to be forgotten 21 August 1986.
But beyond the remembrance ceremonies and the history of the disaster, the anniversary has exposed another crisis. The continuing absence of basic social amenities in a community trying to rebuild its life four decades later.
According to His Royal Majesty Fon Kimbi Richard Chuh, the 11th Traditional Ruler of Nyos, the disaster occurred after a normal market day in Nyos Valley.
His Royal Majesty Fon Kimbi Richard Chuh
He recalled that around 11pm, residents heard and witnessed an extraordinary event at the lake.
“Something came out from the lake like a ball and exploded in the sky.” he said
The gas subsequently moved down the valley, killing people and animals in its path.
Fon Kimbi Richard said the geography of the area contributed to the scale of the tragedy, with communities downstream bearing the greatest impact.
“Those who were enjoying the Nyos Valley market were caught up by the smell of that gas,” he explained, adding that about 95 per cent of the people in the valley were killed, while those upstream survived.
The disaster emptied the area.
Survivors were initially evacuated, with about 90 per cent taken to Saint Gabriel’s Parish in Bafmeng with assistance from the late Father James Nealon.
The family of the Fon also abandoned the palace.
“When the incident happened, there was information that places were not safe, and my late uncle had to abandon the palace with all other people. Nobody was living around the palace again. All of us went to Bafmeng,” Fon Kimbi recalled.
It was only later, after the area was considered safe, that the traditional ruler returned to the palace.
Lake Nyos today.
Four decades later, life is still a struggle
For the survivors who returned, safety was only the beginning.
The real challenge was rebuilding lives almost from nothing.
Fon Kimbi Richard said the Nyos of today cannot be compared with the community that existed before the disaster.
“Things are not really fine compared to how they were before the incident happened,” he said.
Before 1986, Nyos was a thriving trading community. The market attracted people from different parts of the region and beyond, while tourists visited the lake.
Nyos Fon and traditional authorities heading to the lake
The disaster destroyed much of that economic activity.
Many survivors returned to their ancestral compounds and began farming again, but without the economic base that existed before.
“When you live in your home, travel outside and stay for long, when you come back, you are starting everything afresh,” Fon Kimbi said.
That disruption, he believes, continues to shape the lives of Nyos residents today.
The strongest concern emerging from the Ruby Jubilee is not simply the memory of the disaster but the lack of basic public infrastructure.
According to community accounts, Nyos has no health centre, poor road access and inadequate potable water.
The education situation is equally troubling.
At Pali-Nyos, residents point to a single primary school with only two classrooms serving six classes. The school reportedly has just one government teacher.
For Njang Priscilla, a primary school teacher and survivor of the disaster, the situation is difficult to reconcile with the passage of 40 years.
“Forty years after, nothing has been done in Nyos. Nothing practically has been done in Nyos,” she said.
Njang Priscilla
Njang lost her biological father, elder brother, stepmother and several other relatives in the disaster.
She grew up without knowing her father.
“People like us who never knew our fathers, we have grown up. A child that was born that year is 40 years today. That is a child who is married and has children,” she said.
But what troubles her most is the condition of the community itself.
She compared the Nyos Valley of today with a developed urban neighbourhood that has been abandoned.
“There is nothing there. There is no life. There is nothing. No social facilities. Nothing. Just nothing,” she said.
The education crisis in the community has become one of the central demands emerging from the anniversary.
Fon Kimbi Richard is appealing for scholarships and other forms of educational support for children from Nyos.
Lone Government Primary School in Nyos
“If you can help our children go back to school, if you can help our children as far as scholarships are concerned, either in secondary or higher education, we will be very grateful,” he said.
For the traditional ruler, investing in the children is one of the most direct ways of helping the community recover.
The request comes against a history in which many survivors received support immediately after the disaster, but much of that assistance eventually stopped.
Nkoin Blaise Etoh, president of the Pali-Nyos Quarter Union and a survivor, recalled that the government initially assisted survivors with education.
“I expected government to help us. They tried for two years. They paid my school fees for two years, and it ended there till date,” he said.
Nkoin Blaise
He argues that the interruption of such support has contributed to the educational difficulties facing the community today.
“Most of us here are illiterate,” he said.
For residents, the problem is not limited to education.
The road linking Nyos to other communities remains a major concern, while access to potable water and healthcare is also limited.
The appeal by HRM Fon Kimbi is therefore broader.
“You can even come to our assistance to build bridges on the earth road that we have,” he said.
He also called for support to construct a health centre or hospital and improve the traditional palace.
“A health centre, a hospital, we will be grateful,” the Fon said.
Former health Unit now hosting classes 5/6 of the primary school
The condition of the palace itself has become a symbol of the wider state of the community.
Njang Priscilla said the palace is deteriorating and requires rehabilitation.
The community is also seeking assistance to construct a proper gathering space.
Blaise Etoh explained that residents contributed among themselves to build a hall in Pali-Nyos because there was no adequate communal facility.
According to him, the structure was built without external assistance.
Despite the challenges, the Ruby Jubilee has also demonstrated the resilience of Nyos residents.
The Pali-Nyos community, for instance, mobilised its own resources to construct a community hall.
It is a small but significant example of what residents have been doing in the absence of sufficient external support.
Fon Kimbi blessing on of his children at the lake
For Blaise, the anniversary is therefore an opportunity to remind the government and the wider world that the survivors are still here.
“Forty years have passed and we are dying. We are calling on the world to help us,” he said.
The community wants the anniversary to become a turning point, with government, development partners and other well wishers responding to the practical needs of the population.
The anniversary has also revived efforts to preserve the memory of those who died.
At Nyos, community members have identified places associated with the tragedy and created spaces for remembrance.
Blaise explained that the monument in Pali-Nyos is symbolic because no one from that particular quarter died during the disaster.
The main deaths occurred down in the valley, where victims were buried in mass graves.
“There was a big long grave. They gathered people, packed them together and covered them,” he recalled.
Fon Kimbi shairng with his ancestors
The memorial activities therefore serve two purposes: honouring those who died and ensuring that the history of Nyos is not forgotten.
The disaster also changed the lake itself.
Njang Priscilla recalled that the colour of the water changed dramatically after the 1986 gas release and took years to return to its former appearance.
She also recalled the disappearance of 'jazin juiceh', a small indigenous fish that was once part of the local diet.
Today, tilapia has replaced the indigenous fish in the lake following the introduction of fish after the disaster.
The changes have become part of the evolving ecological and cultural story of Nyos.
For residents, however, the lake remains deeply connected to their identity, history and loss.
Nyos Palace today
Four decades after Lake Nyos became synonymous with one of the deadliest limnic eruptions in the world, the central challenge is no longer simply remembering what happened.
It is addressing what happened after the disaster.
The people of Nyos survived the gas cloud, displacement and the loss of family members. Many eventually returned to rebuild their homes and livelihoods.
But their testimonies suggest that recovery remains incomplete.
The Ruby Jubilee has therefore placed a simple message before government, development partners and the wider public which is Nyos does not only need remembrance. It needs reconstruction.
Better roads would reconnect the community. Schools and scholarships could give its children opportunities that many survivors never had. A health centre would address a basic need. Potable water would improve everyday life. Rehabilitation of the palace and communal infrastructure would help restore the social institutions of a community whose traditional and economic life was shattered 40 years ago.
For HRH Fon Kimbi, the appeal is ultimately about restoring hope.
“Nyos people need assistance. Nyos people need help,” he said.
Forty years after the night that changed Nyos forever, the survivors are asking the world to ensure that the story of Nyos does not end with the disaster.
By Nges Marcel, Timti Hilary and Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices in Nyos
Tel: +237 694 71 85 77
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