The colonial governor of Cameroon’s South West region, Bernard Okalia Bilai, has once again unleashed a wave of punitive measures against the already battered population of Ambazonia. In a high-handed directive delivered during a security meeting at the governor’s office in Buea, Okalia instructed all mayors in the region to seal shops owned by their respective councils.
The move comes as a punishment for the population’s defianc
e of Yaoundé’s authority and their solidarity with the ongoing lockdown declared by Ambazonian fighters aimed at resisting colonial occupation. The governor ordered Senior Divisional Officers (SDOs) and Divisional Officers (DOs) to collaborate with mayors to ensure that the shops remain locked even after the current lockdown ends on Friday, September 18.
Already, reports confirm that the Mayor of Buea, David Mafani Namange, and the City Mayor of Limbe, Paul Efome Ngalle, have sealed off shops in their jurisdictions, leaving struggling business owners and families in deeper economic misery. It remains to be seen how other mayors will implement the governor’s directive in towns and villages across the South West.
This latest order adds to the growing list of repressive tactics employed by colonial administrators and their allied military forces in Ambazonia. For years, the Rapid Intervention Battalion (BIR) and gendarm
erie units loyal to Yaoundé have carried out systematic intimidation campaigns—burning markets, extorting traders at checkpoints, arbitrarily detaining youths, and even executing civilians under the guise of fighting separatists.
In towns like Buea, Limbe, and Kumba, ordinary people face a double bind: trapped between colonial forces that weaponise hunger and economic strangulation, and the realities of a war that has already destroyed livelihoods. For many, the sealing of shops is not just an administrative sanction but a calculated attempt to crush community resilience and break the will of a population determined to end colonial subjugation.
Human rights observers and local civil society groups have consistently denounced these collective punishment strategies, arguing that they only deepen the humanitarian crisis. Yet, Yaoundé continues to tighten its grip, using governors and mayors as enforcers of a policy t
hat prioritises control over the dignity and survival of the people.
As September 18 approaches, questions linger over whether the colonial administration’s latest crackdown will silence the people—or further fuel their determination to resist.
By Lucas Muma
