A workshop was organized in Bamenda on April 9th to better explain to ex-fighters what the DDR centre stands for and what it has to offer. MINEFOP and MINJEC accompanied the DDR through their presentations, to explain how each of them as state structures, will be intervening to better hasten the process to reintegrating them into society.
Ex-Fighters at the Close of the Workshop
The worries of Ex-fighters at Dual Centres; both in the Northwest and Southwest regions, has been the major concern of the National Coordinator, Fai Yengo Francis, who has recently displaced himself and his team to better ameliorate the situation within these centres.
Ex-Fighters continue to say; "I don't know when I will leave the centre, I dropped my gun hoping that I will acquire skills nd do something better to help myself and my family, being at the centre, I am not sure of when precisely I will be able to do that. I am not even sure the community will accept me given the attrocities I committed in the past".
View of the hall
The sensitization though quite satisfactory as some of them rated, they still expressed the need to be told the truth about their stay at the centres, than live a lie as most of them said; "We are not even sure if our safety is guaranteed in the community because we know there are still many victims suffering due to our attrocities committed in the past and we want to leave the centers and make our own money".
National Coordinator, DDR
The National Coordinator, same as the ressource persons asked ex-fighters to understand that the hand of fellowship extended to them by the Head of State, President Paul Biya, will also be realized in the steps Government is making to reintergrate them, asking them to be patient to better accelerate the reintergration process.
"We are asking the ex-fighters to listen to us, we come with information to educate them on what it takes for them to be reintergrated. They should pay less attention to detractors who don't understand what the DDR is all about or what it has to offer. Once they keep listening to them, they will be decieved and disgruntled" Fai Yengo Francis, National Coordinator DDR.
Professor Wilbroad DZE-NGWA, Ressource Person
To Prof Wilbroad DZE-NGWA, politicians should be more compassionate by sincerely assisting disgruntled mass.
"Explaining what the DDR is all about, shouldn't be the only bone of contention, but the entire subject of the Anglophone Crisis. Concrete actions should be taken by politicians and other leaders, while on the ground."
"Politicians should wear a jacket of humanism when getting to the field. We should talk about the crisis not just the DDR. The leaders should be doing something to encourage those who are disgruntled." Professor Wilbroad DZE-NGWA, "Foot Soldier"of Peace, Social Cohesion and Justice.
Partial View of DDR Centre, Bamenda
Since the center recorded the first ex-fighter on 4th Dec 2007, the number has undoubtedly grown to a huge crowd with over 739 of them present in all 3 centres; Northwest Southwest and North regions. Ever since the Administrators organized, supervised and managed the centres, strike actions and worries have not cropped up until recently.
The main objective of the workshop was to raise awareness so that everyone can promote peace and social cohesin, each from their own perspective or little corner, hoping that the ex-fighters will understand eventually the evolution of how the centre works and stay calm.
The workshop holds at a time when new developments about the abduction of Kum Henry, Chief of Programs at the Centre has not been revealed yet. Some of them remain uncertain about the offer from government, their anxiety and quest to leave the centre and fend for themselves and their families is of utmost concern.
By Ndefru Melanie in Bamenda
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