Yesterday Friday, April 11, the Moulvoudaye and Kalfou livestock markets remain closed. According to a senior official of the National Association of Livestock Traders of Cameroon (ANCBC), this precautionary measure was taken by the administrative authorities of the Far North region to prevent further clashes between the populations of the two localities, pending a final resolution of the dispute between them.
It all began with discontent expressed by those in charge of the weekly Moulvoudaye market (held every Friday). They denounced what they deemed unfair competition from the Kalfou livestock market, which opened last year and also operates on Fridays. This overlapping commercial agenda is fueling anger in Moulvoudaye. A first outburst of anger, widely publicized on social media, occurred last February. Then, last week, a clash erupted between the two camps, which was quickly brought under control by security forces.
In response to this escalation of tensions, the governor of the Far North region, Midjiyawa Bakari, initiated a series of consultations with the key stakeholders in this social crisis. After meeting with the traditional authorities of the two towns, he had planned to meet with the leaders of the two livestock markets on April 10. The president of the Chadian Traders and Forwarders Association, from Bongor (Chad), was also invited to this meeting, as both markets are supplied with livestock from the neighboring country. However, this meeting was postponed indefinitely. “The governor apologized. He had to urgently go to Yaoundé for an important meeting,” confided a manager of the Kalfou livestock market.
Pending a new meeting date, mistrust between Moulvoudaye and Kalfou, 17 kilometers apart, is at its peak, according to our source. “Today, the number of vehicles from Moulvoudaye crossing Kalfou to go to the weekly Thursday market in Yagoua has decreased considerably,” he observes. He adds that a rapid resolution to this crisis is strongly desired.
SBBC
