Approximately 240 houses were burned and over 1,200 persons left homeless, among them 50 Baptist families, in the West African country of Cameroon, the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has said.

The incident is part of a broader conflict between the Oku and Mbessa people in the Northwest Province of the country. The conflict came to a head in mid-February when more than 50 persons were wounded in a skirmish between the two tribes. Twenty four Oku were wounded while there were 30 Mbessa casualties.

Peter Ngong, Baptist pastor and Director of Media for the local Baptist association, reported: "The whole Province is worried as children cannot go to school. Property worth over 450 million CFA francs (US$913,000) has been destroyed."

Ngong, a former member of the communications committee of the Baptist World Alliance, who is Mbessa, reported being "shocked by what I saw" on his visit to his hometown, which also bears the name of the tribe, Mbessa.

Ngong is based in the Northwest Province capital of Bamenda, a city of almost 330,000 people. His aunt, who has been a widow for eight years, lost her house during the arson attacks, leaving her homeless with 14 children and eight grandchildren, Ngong said. The Baptist church in the community was left unharmed.

The latest incidents were sparked after two Oku women attempted to plant crops on disputed lands. After being arrested, beaten and released, members of the Oku tribe retaliated by attacking two Mbessa guards, leaving them with gunshot wounds. The conflict broadened to include the skirmish and arson attacks. All the houses destroyed belong to the Mbessa tribe.

The area of the conflict, which is very mountainous and close to the Nigerian border, is characterised by subsistence farming. There is a shortage of arable land and the people farm even the steep hillsides.

An uneasy calm has since returned to the region after government security forces were sent to secure the area.


For more information on the BWA, please visit: www.bwanet.org


[Source: BWA]