The colonial regime in Yaoundé has reportedly spent close to 700 million FCFA to renovate the abandoned Bamenda Airport in Northern Zone, just to receive Pope Leo during his recent visit to Ambazonia.
According to the Cameroon Airports Authority, ADC, the huge sum was pumped into emergency rehabilitation works ahead of the Pope’s arrival on April 16 during his first African tour. The airport, which has remained largely inactive since the escalation of the Ambazonian War of Independence, was temporarily revived for the high-profile visit.
ADC admitted that the Bamenda Airport had effectively been shut down since 2020 because of what it described as “security concerns.” The state corporation noted that no commercial flight has operated on the platform for years following the intensification of the armed conflict between Ambazonian Restoration Forces and La République du Cameroun occupation troops.
The airport infrastructure had reportedly fallen into serious decay during the years of abandonment. To prepare for the Pope’s landing, ADC says it financed 31 different renovation projects at the facility.
Among the works carried out were the repainting of the terminal building, rehabilitation of restroom facilities, repairs to the hydraulic power systems, replacement of damaged check valves, fixing leakages within the hydraulic network, and remarking of the runway.
Critics across Ground Zero have questioned why the regime could suddenly find hundreds of millions to refurbish an airport abandoned for years yet continues to neglect basic infrastructure and humanitarian needs affecting civilians devastated by the ongoing conflict in Ambazonia.
Many Bamenda residents and Ambazonians online have also raised concerns over the future of the airport, noting that ADC failed to clarify whether the facility would resume normal commercial operations after the Pope’s departure or simply return to abandonment once the international spotlight fades.
For many observers, the hurried facelift of the Bamenda airstrip appears more like a political and public relations exercise by the Yaoundé regime than a genuine commitment to restoring economic life in the Northern Zone.
