The City of Bamenda could be partially grounded in the early hours of Friday according to information gathered by City FM. This will be for a meeting of all taxi drivers and commercial motorbike transporters said to hold at the Bamenda grand Stand on Friday Morning as from 7 am.
The meeting will also involve municipal and administrative authorities as they seek a way out of the current impasse between transporters, the administration and separatist fighters.
Early Wednesday morning, two taxi drivers were abducted by unknown armed men at the T-Junction Bamenda and their where about is still unknown. On Tuesday a taxi was set ablaze at Che Street in the Ntarikon neighbourhood. This has come to add to the number of taxis recently set on fire in Bamenda for defying separatist orders to be painted white and blue (Ambazonian colours)
Sources close to the Transporters Syndicates in Bamenda has hinted City FM that if Friday’s meeting fail to produce a satisfactory result, township taxis would be grounded in solidarity to those that have been destroyed or impounded in the current impasse.
Mbassi (not real names) a township taxi driver told City FM that he feels very insecure venturing out to work. “Even when I work there are certain parts of town that I avoid” this he added is having a severe strain on his daily return and his income.
The current crisis stemmed from an order of the SDO for Mezam, Simon Moh Emile on May 27, banning the circulation of commercial bikes as from 6:30 pm to 6:30 am in the municipalities of Bamenda I, II and III. This act promoted separatist fighters to counter with a ban of theirs on taxis not to circulate as from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. This was subsequently followed by another order requesting township taxis to repaint their vehicles in the colours of the separatist flag.
