Bakingili: farmers say elephants constantly destroying crops

By Nambu Bernadette Franka

Inhabitants of the Bakingili community in Fako, South West region of Cameroon have narrated the nightmare they have been going through for the past 7 years with elephants destroying their crops. According to them, the elephants usually come out by night and sometimes during the day in their numbers.

The Chief of Bakingili, Elive Joseph says they have done everything possible to scare the elephants away but have been unsuccessful:

“We do not know what is happening with the elephants. They come right to our backyards. We reported to the Ministry of forestry and wildlife, they came here on a mission to scare the elephants away for about a month but nothing much was achieved. They said we should appease our ancestors. We called villages and did that but still it was not fruitful- the situation is getting worse. There is no longer farming here because anything you plant, the elephants will destroy,” the chief explained.

“Farmers have been suffering. The population here in Bakingili depends on farming to survive, but since 2015 till now, there have been no farming activity here because of these elephants,” Ankeng Marie Alehe, chief of Agri-post Bakingili said.

“I am pleading on the government to intervene in this our situation. We are also pleading if the government can substitute or give farmers loans to help them start small businesses that can cover-up all they have lost,” she added.

In September 2021, over 200 villagers organized a march and protested against what they termed the unbearable destruction of crops and homes by the Africa forest elephants.

According to reports, this species stormed the village in August and September 2021 and destroyed over 250 banana, plantain, corn, bean plantations and dozens of homes. A similar destruction was recorded in Bomana in October 2022.

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