By Mbah Godlove l BaretaNews
After fresh bloodshed in Abakwa, regime officials push surveillance over solutions as calls for dialogue fall on deaf ears
The chief city of Southern Cameroons, Abakwa, once again finds itself in the eye of the storm as the Mayor of Bamenda City Council, Paul Achobang, rolls out what many are already describing as a desperate and recycled tactic dressed as innovation. In a move that has raised more eyebrows than hope, the mayor has announced the installation of CCTV cameras across the city as a response to the deepening security crisis.
This announcement comes barely days after another deadly confrontation rocked Abakwa, despite a brief three-day ceasefire observed by Ambazonia Restoration Forces in respect of the Pope’s visit. That fragile calm was shattered as fighters reportedly neutralized at least three La République du Cameroun soldiers within Bamenda, alongside other operations across Southern Cameroons.
Faced with this reality, the regime’s local administrative arm has chosen surveillance over substance. According to Mayor Achobang, the deployment of CCTV cameras will help monitor and investigate the movements of pro-independence fighters operating within the city.
But for many ground-zero residents, this so-called solution rings hollow.
Locals say the crisis in Southern Cameroons is not one of visibility but of unresolved political conflict. To them, cameras will do little more than record tragedies that continue to unfold daily in the absence of genuine political will.
Critics have also dismissed the project as another “contract-driven venture” — a familiar pattern where public funds are poured into flashy initiatives with little to no impact on the lived reality of the people. Many fear that, as with previous schemes, the result will be inflated budgets, abandoned installations, and empty council accounts.
On the streets of Abakwa, the question is simple and direct. Can cameras stop bullets, or will they merely replay the pain?
For nearly a decade, the people of Southern Cameroons have watched as successive responses from Yaoundé have failed to address the root causes of the conflict. Calls for inclusive dialogue and meaningful negotiations continue to be ignored, even as international voices, including that of the Pope, urge for peace and reconciliation.
As lenses are mounted and contracts signed, the crisis deepens.
And for many, the truth is now undeniable.
You cannot film your way out of a war.
