The call was made by the Mayor of Buea, Barrister David Mafani Namange after an artisanal bomb exploded at the Great Soppo Market on Monday, December 6, 2021.

No casualty was recorded as the bomb was quickly spotted by traders in the market.

It was at about 8 am Monday morning that some traders in the Great Soppo Market in Buea noticed a strange bag.

They say the nature of the bag, coupled with the absence of its owner forced them to suspect something fishy.

“It was a green gas cylinder. It would appear that the explosive device was left there intentionally. We thought we were going to die and as such ran for our dear lives. It’s now that we have mustered the courage to come back following the reassuring words from the authorities who have been to the scene. They want to instill fear in us but we can’t give in to fear because if we do not come to the market, we will be unable to feed our families," said a market woman.

Although no casualty was recorded, the local authorities alongside the forces of law and order descended to the scene to evaluate the situation and reassure the population.

The Mayor of Buea, Barrister David Mafani Namange says the peace-loving people of Buea will not be shaken.

“I want to condemn it and condemn it totally on behalf of the population of Buea. The crime is that we are peaceful people, if at all that is a crime. But I want to thank the population that nothing will shake our resolve to stay peaceful and to stay by the nation,” he said.

The population has been called to always scrutinize their environment, watch out for suspicious items and collaborate with the forces of law and order so as to maintain peace in Buea especially during this festive period.

Cameroon’s state forces have been battling to dislodge armed separatists who pitched their tents in the North West and South West Regions since Anglophone protests transformed into an armed conflict in 2017.

Corporate demands by Common Law Lawyers and Anglophone Teachers led to protests in November 2016. The street demonstrations later morphed into ongoing running gun battles between state forces and armed separatist fighters in the predominantly English-speaking regions, leading to untold destruction of human lives, their habitats, and livelihoods.

Tit-for-tat killings, kidnappings, arsons, maiming, and outright terror have become part of daily lives in some parts of the English-speaking regions. The militiamen have recently resorted to using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in schools, markets, and other civilian environments.