In Cameroon, the town of Tokombéré, in the Mayo Sawa department in the Far North of the country, was the subject of clashes on Monday and Tuesday between the population and the police. Riots following discontent among city residents against their mayor. Since then, this small town has seen an influx of gendarmes and police officers as reinforcements and lives under a certain tension.
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With our correspondent in Cameroon, Polycarp Essomba
According to various sources in Tokombéré, this sudden outburst of anger is the result of a string of grievances from residents of the commune against the mayor. He would be accused of unduly grabbing villagers’ land, of diverting development projects for the benefit of his village alone or of prioritizing entrepreneurs from outside the municipality in the execution of public contracts.
The culmination of this fed up was Tuesday. Hundreds of young people from the town tried to storm the building housing the town hall services. And the response from city officials was forceful.
According to several witnesses, the gendarmes, after having tried in vain to repel the demonstrators with the use of tear gas, opened fire. The report, not clearly certified, shows at least two deaths. According to other sources, there could be six, even eight victims, and many injured.
The sub-prefect of the locality, Jean Jaurès Medjo, told The eye of the Sahel that the demonstrators demanded the resignation of the mayor, in a situation of complete disenchantment with his constituents. The administrative authority, faced with the insistence of the demonstrators, advised them to remain patient at least until the next municipal elections were held. In the meantime, the town of Tokombéré lives under heavy police surveillance.