Cameroonians who spent Easter in Calabar Stranded over renewed hostilities

The Cameroonian authorities are reported to have imposed a lockdown over resumption of arm hostilities between the breakaway Ambazonian Republic and Paul Biya’s government soldiers as well as the COVID19 resurge.

Some Cameroonians from the English-speaking part of the country, who visited Calabar, Cross River State, for Easter festivities, can no longer return home.

The Cameroonian authorities have reportedly renewed hostilities with the breakaway Ambazonian Republic.

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At least 10 of them were seen in Calabar, lamenting that one of the bus drivers, who brought them to Calabar through the Mfum-Cameroon border, last week, was shot dead in an attempt to meander his way back to pick them back home.

One of them, Simon Ariom, 63, told our reporter that they planned to return home on Tuesday.

“We were supposed to have returned to our country yesterday having participated in the Easter programmes in our church headquarters, but we cannot do that because of hostilities.

“Our monies are dwindling by the day. Our driver that was to come and pick us back home is reported to have been killed by the forces.

“We are told that soldiers of La Republique du Cameroon invaded ‘Ambazonian’ territory, killing parents and relatives of Ambazonian soldiers. This provoked the ‘Amba Boys’ to block entry routes even though there’s COVID-19 lockdown, too.”

Ariom said they do not know how long it would take them to wait.

He said it is doubly dangerous for them to meander through illegal bush parts.

Many Cameroonians refugees have flooded Calabar and the refugees camps in Ogoja as a result of crisis in their country.