Biya 34 year Rule

I was born and raised in Mutengene. It is true that different types of crimes – theft, money doubling, drugs, defiant behavior, etc – are rampant in this town. However, the root of this is deeper. As explained by Nchem Rudolf, what has happened to Mutengene is a fall out of direct social policies in Cameroon masterminded by a very corrupt regime that has governed Cameroon for the last 34 years. People all over the country who are hurting and frustrated have created their own world sustained by crime with their headquarters being Mutengene. The choice of Mutengene is simple – it is a junction town and criminals could easily run when being pursued. I remember when the last police commissioner whom I mentioned in my last post attacked and chased all bandits out of town; they ran away and settled mostly in Nkongsamba.

Crime syndicates all over Cameroon have built a stronghold in Mutengene because it is easy to hit and run and escape easily since it’s a junction town. The situation of Mutengene has been complicated because of the fact that we have a very corrupt police force. When any police or Gerndarme officer wants to go for retirement, they normally send them to Mutengene for them to come and “make money”. It is members of our police force that normally plans, organizes, provides weapons and sends these criminals to go and hurt innocent people all over the world. The good citizens of the town do not trust the police force because they know they are corrupt so they often watch helplessly as victims are being brought in from all over the world to be manipulated and hurt in Mutengene.

These good citizens won’t dare report to the law enforcement officials for fear of reprisals from the criminal gangs.Sadly, in the last two decades, all the major companies around Mutengene that used to employ youths of the town have either been closed down or have had their operations downsized and transferred to Francophone Cameroon. We used to have Brasseries du Cameroun bottling plant at Ombe, Plantecam Medicam, CDC Dibanda Estates, etc employing thousands of people. As these companies were closed down, thousands of people were left unemployed with their only alternative means of raising income and making a living being crime.

As suggested by Nchem Rudolf, the solutions are not only to employ a police approach but also to look deeper and turn things around through education job creation, alongside law enforcement. For a start, the youths of this town need job creation opportunities and training projects to give them the relevant skills to work and earn a decent income. Economic and social legislations need to be drafted to solve the problems of towns like Mutengene. People there are living a nightmare and a life of terror from local armed gangs. If you dare oppose them, you will quickly find your life in danger.

Rexon Nting, UK
Culled for BaretaNews.