Union of professional drivers threaten to block border

A convoy of truck drivers en route to Bangui were attacked on Saturday evening near the Lokoti-Bangui, a town 70km from the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR).

According to Le Jour newspaper in its Tuesday July 21, 2015 edition, seven trucks were shot, causing 8 Cameroonian drivers killed and 11 injured.

For Lawrence Diyem, the sub-prefect of Garoua-Boulaï, "the provisional account reported several people injured and killed by these out-law.” Dissatisfied, the sub-prefect told the newspaper that “many complaints filed to his hierarchy remained unheeded to.”

"The bodies of the drivers were buried in the Muslim cemetery of Garoua-Boulaï. Among them was a member of the Union of professional drivers of Cameroon, Iya Hamadama, who lived in in Ngaoundéré in the Adamawa Region, noted the newspaper.

Le Jour further stated that, on Monday, July 20, 2015, Yang Ibrahima, president of Union of professional drivers in Cameroon, contacted the Prime Minister to announce a strike from July 29.

He wrote: "faced with non-compliance by the government of its commitments during the meeting with different sectors of transport and many burrs of the Central African Republic rebels on our comrades in Central African territory, we have decided to block all borders between Cameroon and the Central African Republic.

Leaflets calling for a general strike in the transport sector have been distributed at the goods station and Ngaoundéré in the town of Garoua-Boulaï. "This Tuesday, a strike by carriers and truckers in the Adamawa and East regions is planned in Bertoua – Garoua-Boulaï", concluded the newspaper.