Bafut has been considered for the greater part of the armed conflict in English speaking Cameroon as a no go zone even for residents of the area. Mami Esther a widow leaving at Njiteh tells the observer she had to bury her son in Yaounde at her brother's place as it was not easy getting to her compound in Bafut.
Passengers travelling to Wum the Divisional head quarters of Menchum through bafut have most often been kidnapped.
The former Divisional officer for Menchum Valley subdivision was kidnapped along the road precisely in Mbakong and his vehicle almost burnt.
Reports have been published of persons kidnapped around Bafut and Bamenda and held in captivity in Bafut.
In 2017 atleast 78 students and 3 administrators were kidnapped from a mission secondary school in Bamenda and taken to Bafut. They were later release at same Bafut.
Travellers to Wum via Bafut have often described their journeys as time consuming due to the deplorable state of the road and several checkpoints mounted by the separatists fighters.
"Most often we would travel through Boyo division and will spend upto 18000 francs as transport" a lady who prefers not to be named tells the Observer.
Institutions might not have been burnt in Bafut but the burning of homes by the fighters has sent many fleeing from the area.
This picture was taken during the last Bafut market that took place on Saturday June 27. Turn out at the market was good. " We managed to sell today. Before now, cars were not even coming to Bafut" a trader tells the observer.
What we need is peace another says.
Bafut residence are witnessing this freedom after soldiers carried out two raids in the area. The first dislodged ambazonian general Aladji who has been blamed by residence as the man behind the hardship being faced in Bafut.
Bafut has great agricultural and touristic potentials which have been reduced to nothing useful since 2016.
The palace, host to the UNESCO heritage site is still standing tall but the savanna Botanical Garden (SABOGA) home of variety of medicinal plants is growing in weed.
For all this happenings in Bafut, social media claimed the military was responsible and videos circulated on social media showing women fleeing at the site of a military convoy.
Lately, the same military was at the market accompanying the fire fighting unit of the 50th army rescue group to disinfect the market.
Business was as usual. No one ran away. The soldiers stayed in the market until work was done. Before inhabitants will not sell to soldiers. It was different. The Observer saw soldiers buy goods from the market.
Cars now ply the Bamenda Bafut road.
The New Divisional Officer, Diobe Elumba Didacus Elumba, of the ginger producing subdivision will be installed this Tuesday June 30th 2020 in Bafut. He is expected among others to work towards bringing back the population.
By
Mbuh Stella
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