Mothers from Ekona on a peaceful protest in Buea
On Sunday February 12, 2023, over 10 young men were arrested by the military in Ekona while playing football and were brought to the Gendermarie on Buea. Reports say the mothers of these young men tried visiting their children on Tuesday February 14 with food but were denied access to their children. Early this morning of February 15, these same mothers tried another visit but were still met with same refusal.
Mothers from Ekona alongside other elderly women matched from Ekona to the Buea Council with peace plants demanding to see the Mayor. They were singing songs like “water don finish for wa eyes, we don tire for cry o” and “peace is what we want, release our children we want peace”.
The Divisional Officer Abah Abdulrahman of Buea has met with these mothers and confirms that he has had a dialogue with the militarily to let the young men go. According to the D.O., the Gendarmerie authorities said only those judged innocent will be released.
” We do not want any war again. We are tired please stop the war, Anglophones kill Anglophones so what then are we fighting for? Our children are dying and getting arrested everyday. We will not leave Buea until our children are handed to us,” one of the arrested boys’ mother said.
The mothers say they have asked why their sons were arrested when they were out playing football and not doing anything illegal.
” I am also your child and I understand your pain because I am also a parent. Please we will solve your problem. We will see what is going on and also want peace . I am pleading that you all stay calm for now,” the Mayor of Buea Davide Mafany pleaded.
The mothers have all refused to return home as instructed by the Mayor of Buea saying they can only leave knowing they are going home with their children.
“ So our boys now cannot freely enjoy football? they preach peace and ask us to return to our homes in Ekona and we have. We were a little at rest in the bushes. Now we have returned home and same people that asked us to return home are taking us away from home accusing our children of being rebels. They are our children and Ekona for some time now has had a little peace but with something like this happening again, I do not think our government wants peace. It was similar cases like this that happened to other youths who were taken from their homes and never returned and now our boys? “ Evelyn Matuteh cried out.
The women have threatened to march naked if their children are not released.
It has been revealed that before these women took the initiative to march to Buea, the Divisional Officer of Buea had instructed the Gendarmes to allow the mothers feed and see their children but this as not done. These women are calling on the Governor of South West region, Bernard Okalia Bilai to intervene.
