Peter Efande with Nkeze Mbonwoh
26 February 2008
The tense situation has affected public offices with numerous absences registered.
Residents in Buea, Mutengene, Muyuka, Kumba, and Tiko yesterday trekked to their various businesses as taxi drivers downed tools in protest against what they term "continuous fuel price hikes". Talk about the strike gained steam by weekend and thousands of workers (public and private) awoke to the reality of the strike yesterday morning.
In Buea, signs of the strike were visible throughout the town as no yellow-coloured taxi cab could be seen plying the streets. At the Mile 17 Motor Park, gateway into Buea, no commercial vehicles could be seen entering or leaving the town. A few private cars continued to circulate and by 10 am, some persons mounted roads blocks to prevent the private cars from circulating. At this juncture, the police intervened to clear the road. At the GCE Board Junction in Great Soppo (Buea), a police van brought over 20 elements to shift the trunks and heavy stones that were used to barricade ciculation.
No confrontation was yet evident at press time between the deployed forces and the striking drivers. The President of Buea Drivers Union was not available for comment.
When Cameroon Tribune visited Limbe yesterday, taxis were going about their normal transportation of passengers. Activities were going on hitchfree, the markets were as busy as usual, shops and road side stalls were open while commercial motor bikes were plying the streets.
But the situation was not the same in neighbouring Mutengene. A police source told CT that an attempt by some youths to storm the Brasseries Ombe depot was nibbed in the bud and some of the youths rounded infront of the depot. Police were conspicuously present at the scene.
Still in Mutengene, the main food market on the highway to Limbe (dubbed '"Big Mop Market") was set ablaze. The road from Mutengene to Buea was littered with road blocks set up by protesters. The security forces did their best to protect the few vehicles that dared to ply the road.
Our CAMNEWS correspondent in Kumba reported that the situation was the same with no taxis on the roads. He added that there was however no confrontation between the security forces and the manifesters. In Muyuka, a staff of the Muyuka hospital (contacted by telephone) confirmed that there were no taxis in circulation, only a few motor bikes. In Tiko (near Mutengene), taxis equally kept off the roads.
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