BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM
Though hard to comprehend, the malicious act was conspicuous. Women who turned out to observe the 35th international women’s day edition at the Bamenda grandstand on March 8th came under attack. This happened with the explosion of an alleged locally made bomb some thirty metres away from the ceremonial ground leaving eight people injured. The bomb would later aggravate to consuming flames. Among victims were four military men, three policemen and one civilian. The injured were immediately rushed to a medical facility. Minutes after, the bombing casualty graduated to a fire outbreak just at the site of the explosion which caught a block of buildings along the Bamenda commercial avenue reducing about nine shops to rubbles. The door of the vehicle of the army rescue unit was also damaged. It took about three hours for elements of the army rescue unit to put out the fire that was spreading with the speed of light.
Firemen of Army Rescue Unit at Disaster Site
The explosion took off when Adolf Lele Lafrique- governor of the northwest region, was presenting a speech. He had barely spoken when a pop sound went out causing panic. There was heart throbbing, crouching, running and screaming. It took about twenty five minutes for some calm to resettle.
Mr Lele Lafrique then resumed his speech though amidst chaos and fear. The chief executive officer of the region called on women to embrace leadership and to fight against ghost towns and lockdowns, promote peace, bilingualism and multiculturalism.
Talking about the detonation at the grandstand, the governor hinted that enemies were at the cause. He was magnanimous “It was a successful event despite the odds that happened here. I congratulate the patriotic women who came out for the day. I am sending a strong message to the perpetrator of the incident that they would be persecuted and sanctioned in accordance with the laws and regulations of the republic. We are appealing to the population that they should rally behind the head of States, the patroitic citizens and the arm forces. Measures would be taken to sanction them so that it wouldn’t occur anymore here in Bamenda”
A march past by women of various segments, the decoration of two women with labour medals as recognition for their works in the women force and a key note address to the women on the theme of the celebration also characterised the day.
Women marching past at commercial avenue grandstand Bamenda
Some civil soceity organisations were warded certificates for strides in ensuring protection and empowerment of women. Women were called to embrace entrepreneurship, to take up leadership and to know the rights of a woman vis a vis human rights.
Earlier at the event, a keynote address was presented by a woman on behalf of all the women. The speech focused on troubles faced by women in the Northwest region especially within the Anglophone crisis.
The International women’s day celebration in Bamenda was being observed under thesame theme chosen by the United Nations “Promoting Gender and Protecting Women’s Rights by 2020: Taking stock of actions undertaken, setting a new course”
The day unfolded in a ghost atmosphere. Thus just a handful of women; mostly politicians and wives of top government officials were present at the ceremonial ground clad in the women day fabric.
The 2020 edition of the International Women’s Day in Bamenda and the explosion that characterised the day goes into records as the first ever attack of the heart beat of Bamenda since the beginning of the Anglophone crisis.
People have however criticized the storming of an international ceremony meant to promote and project the woman. The explosion alongside the fire incident has further exposed Cameroon as a Country that has a problem which greatly needs to be sincerely addressed.