Mokolo Market: Peace walk to protest against violence

The initiative comes from the Muslim community which by this act says “no” to the insecurity and banditry in Yaounde.

The so-called peace march was held on Saturday, January 9, 2016, in Yaounde, from the esplanade of the great mosque of Tsinga and a place called “Carrefour de la sous-préfecture” in the same neighborhood.

Members of the Muslim community wanted, through this event, to “say no to barbarism.”

“Through various speaking engagements, and placards, one could read that the Briqueterie area does not need all this,” recounted the national radio station, CRTV.

This walk follows recent incidents of January 7, 2016 at the police station of the Yaounde II district in the Mokolo market in Yaounde. Youth from the Briqueterie neighborhood, next to the market, attacked the police station.

They were protesting against the police operation the previous day, causing the death of a thug. The thug, according to a security source, had been denounced by one of his victims, a woman who called the police for help.

According to some traders, the youths were armed with spears, knives, and machetes decided to massacre all passersby and shopkeepers they met in the Mokolo market. The incident of last Thursday caused many casualties among the traders, and the theft of large quantities of goods.

“Briqueterie experienced last Thursday, a black day in our neighborhood. We want this patriotic gesture by saying yes, we might have rioters and thugs in the neighbourhood, but the neighbourhood that builds is bigger and greater," said the fourth deputy mayor of the district of Yaounde.

Religious leaders, men, women, and children, leaders of political parties, came in their numbers to make their voices heard and above to make commitments before the administrative authorities to maintain order and peace in the area.

For the D.O of the Yaounde II district Ousmanou Nji Yampen, the march demonstrates the commitment of the people to promote peace and stability in Cameroon. He still condemned the acts perpetrated last Thursday.

“We just hope that each and every one of us will get involved in the investigation of the alleged perpetrators“. Last Thursday, 300 people were arrested for exploitation.