Last August 31, members of two ethnic groups occupying land on the left side of River Noun in a locality called Momo, not far from Foumbot in the West Region, came into an armed confrontation from which some 15 people were seriously wounded, requiring admission to the Foumbot District Hospital.
The problem is said to have arisen from a long-standing land dispute between the Bamilekes and the Bamoun.
While the Bamileke, who have settled in the area for some 60 years, thought the time was long enough to start implanting traditional institutions such as local chiefs to consolidate their presence, the Bamouns thought otherwise. They believe these are their ancestral lands which cannot, in any way be alienated.
The locality is within reach of Foumbot, the headquarters of the Sub-division. This means the government is quite aware of the problem. Moreover, the said lands are said to be the private property of the State as attested recently by the Regional Delegate for Lands, Surveys and State Property, Jean Marie Manga. One of the bones of contention is the fact that several Bamileke chiefdoms have been created in the area. But it is understood that the Minister of Territorial Administration does not know of the existence of any chiefdom in the area, neither do any of the aggrieved people possess title deeds.
To stamp its presence in the area, the government has ordered all those who have sold land to reimburse the buyers. Apart from that, and in an effort to stem incidents such as that which occurred on August 31, the government has set up a commission - headed by the Senior Divisional Officer for Noun - to examine the various problems at the origin of this bellicose posture between the two communities.
Land tenure problems are very delicate to handle and are known to have been at the origins of numerous conflicts in other parts of the national territory. Leaders of the two communities in question ought to be aware of this and behave in a way as to prevent any escalation. The incidents of last August do not have their place in a nation which is painstakingly building its unity. They can only be decried by all peace-loving Cameroonians, given their antiquated nature. For no reason whatsoever can a problem between two communities be resolved by the brutal use of arms when the courts, set up by the State to examine such matters, are there.
