“We Need Peace, Not Food”- IDPs Tell Government In Bamenda.
By
Raymond Dingana.
During the recent distribution of Humanitarian Aids to Internally
Displaced Persons at the esplanade of the NW governor’s office by the Bamenda Regional Center for Humanitarian
Assistance, many IDPs called on government to ensure that, peace returns saying
food is not really what they need but Peace. Though they appreciated and thanked
government for trying to see in to it that, they live a normal life, they called
on government to embrace the path to peace so that, they can return to their
communities and that food is not really what they are in need of.
This lady is an internally displaced person from Njikwa. She says
she and her family came to Bamenda after their house was razed to the ground.
Hear her: “We escaped to Bamenda from Njikwa when this crisis started after our
house was set ablaze. We are very happy for what government has given us but we
are begging government to do all for peace to return because we are really suffering
here in Bamenda. What we have received will get finished and we shall need
more. We are six of us and we really want to go back that’s why we really need Peace
not really the food and others we have been given”.
This other lady is from Bafut and now an internally displaced
person in Bamenda because of the Anglophone crisis: “If President Paul Biya can say
just a word for peace to return, it’s going to be a good thing. For how long
are we going to keep on waiting for government to come give us food? What you
toil to have is more helpful than what you sit and it’s given to you. We want
peace to return to that we can go back to our villages and continue with life”.
To the Senior Divisional for Mezam, Songa Pierre Rene, all what
the internally displaced persons have been receiving is a clear justification
of Paul Biya’s love for them. He told DrayInfos
that, the Humanitarian Assistance Plan is a special program to help IDPs live a
good life and not suffer because of the crisis. He also said “the final aim” of the program is to help them go back in
order to continue living a normal life in their different localities.
It should however be noted that, the Anglophone crisis has given
birth to thousands of internally displaced persons with many of them surviving
thanks to supports from Government, NGOs, Religious bodies, People of good
will, Humanitarian Organizations, just to name but these.
Mezam Senior Divisional Officer, Songa Pierre Renne Distributing Humanitarian Aids To IDPs
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