By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mimi Mefo Info (Editor)
Published on 2024-02-12 15:50:23
Hundreds of students gathered at the reunification square in Buea, the capital of Cameroon’s troubled South West Region, to celebrate Youth Day on February 11. This celebration took place amidst a tense ghost town situation that paralyzed transportation and business services in the town for the day.
The separatists, who are fighting for the creation of a breakaway state called Ambazonia, had imposed a lockdown from February 10 to February 12, opposing all official celebrations in Cameroon since the onset of the armed conflict in 2017.
The Youth Day celebration in Buea was chaired by the South West Regional Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai and was attended by numerous state dignitaries, youth leaders, civil society leaders, and students. Hundreds of students and pupils from primary, secondary, and higher learning institutions participated in the parade that lasted over an hour. Youth groups such as the Cameroon National Youth Council and the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement Party also turned out in large numbers for the celebration.
Some observers noted that the turnout this year exceeded that of last year, despite the separatists’ calls for a lockdown. This year’s Youth Day was themed “Youth, Import Substitution and Economic Patriotism for Cameroon’s Development.”
President Paul Biya, in a speech to the youths on February 10, expressed concern about the increase in moral decay in Cameroonian society and urged the youth to avoid vices such as violence, drug abuse, alcohol, and deviant behaviors. He also discouraged them from seeking to travel abroad, a trend that has become prevalent among young Cameroonians due to unemployment, insecurity, and bad governance.
While some celebrated Youth Day in Buea, others defied the celebrations due to safety concerns amid the separatists’ threats of attacks. Some simply chose not to participate because they are “fed up” with the current state of affairs in the country.
In addition to insecurity in the North West, South West, and Far North Regions, where youth are heavily affected, the country is also facing challenges such as inflation, high cost of living, poor road networks, corruption, and bad governance. In the South West, Governor Okalia Bilai reiterated the President’s message during the Youth Day celebrations and called on youth to harness the region’s natural potential through entrepreneurship.
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
