Anglophone Crisis: Ghost Town Battle Completely Locks Down Buea

Þ Separatist Fighters Faceoff with Military after Blocking

      Entry Point into Buea

Þ Mayor Ekema’s War against Ghost Town Allegedly Sparks Unrest

Þ Buea Witnesses Worst Paralysis Ever

      The topsy-turvy resulting from the struggle by Anglophone separatists to restore the independence of the so-called state of Ambazonia, might have gripped Buea recently, but there are reports that, the situation in the chief town of the Southwest region on Monday July 9, 2018, was unprecedentedly scary.

According to locals, there was no sign of life  

TCR gathered that there was totally no business in the city as every shop remained permanently shut down in most parts of the Southwest region and in Buea, in particular.

Even the circulation of commercial as well as private motorbikes and taxis, was at near zero as every resident of the city feared for their lives and thus remained indoors.

Everyone was stunned that the ghost town in Buea was even the most intense ever, despite threats issued against advocates of ghost town operations by the Mayor of the Buea council, Ekema Patrick.

Reports said that the complete paralysis of the city of Buea was further instigated by clashes between defense and security forces and suspected separatist fighters in Mile 17 and Muea, as the latter blocked the entrance into the city of Buea.

TCR learnt from concordant sources that on Friday, Mayor Patrick Ekema, threatened to close all businesses that would remain closed during Monday’s ghost town. He even promised to go round the council buildings that are housing shops and businesses, just to ensure compliance with his instructions.

Reports said that at least two police officers were killed in Monday's violence in the cities of Buea and Kumba.

They are the Police Commissioner of Kumba City and a police inspector on duty in Buea.

At press time Tuesday, TCR had not had a balanced sheet of casualties from last Monday’s standoffs, but unofficial sources talked of a dozen deaths among the fighters and security and defence forces.

Residents said that over the preceding weekend end, calls for intensive ghost town in the cities of Buea, Limbe and Kumba were made by Anglophone separatists. There was heavy mobilization of the military to perhaps, squash attempts by anyone to enforce the call for ghost town in the said cities.

A fracas between the military and alleged separatist fighters therefore erupted in Buea for example, where the suspected fighters blocked the entrance into Mile 16. Vehicles were also burnt therein.