Pastor Therese leading prayer session with the women

Wailing, praying and singing were the order of the day at the Yaounde boulevard as some women in the town decided to come out in solidarity with victims of the October 24 killing in Kumba.

These women, while crying said they are tired of burying their children and want an end to the crisis in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon. The women carried placards with messages such as “We are Kumba”, “Education is a human right”, “No to war”.

Speaking to the press, one of the organisers of the peaceful protest, a gender and youth activist, Yaa Gladys Shang Viban explained the reason for the protest “We came put today to mourn the Kumba killing and to air out our long standing disgruntleness and pain to show the world how the cameroonian woman has been shattered to the core over the years. We have seen the atrocities that have been committed on women and children particularly the girl child. Women and girls have been raped at all fronts both by the non state arm groups and the government defense and security forces. Women are being killed and being massacred. It is true that this has been going on and there’s that one thing and it just overflows. Theres no one woman who has been indifferent to what happened in Kumba. Not one child who has been indifferent.”

The protest dubbed “women’s cry die event” demanded for an immediate ceasefire from the conflicting parties. “We call for an immediate ceasefire; to drop all weapons and silence all guns”. A statement in the declaration read.

Nicoline Wazeh, gender and development activist

“…No more killing, no more blood. Cease fire, drop your weapons, come to the table, talk. God says come together, let’s come together. We are acting as if we dont have blood running through our veins. No. As mothers we say that maybe we have failed so we are coming to say we are sorry we have failed as mothers. Help us to make it right.” Nicoline Wazeh, a gender and development activist told Insight News 24.

Muma Yvonne, chairperson CAWOPEM

“They have killed our children. They butchered our kids. Who didn’t see the images of the heads. The innocent blood has begun to cry. We are saying that the authors of this crime will not only confess alone but their accomplices who are everywhere even if they are among us will confess. The innocent blood cries. The blood of our children…We the mothers say the war should end” the chairperson of Cameroon Women’s Peace Movement, Muma Yvonne said with a heavy heart.

Officiating the event was Rv Uso Theresia of the PCC who called on the women to pray without season. She equally remarked that if women come together and do the needful, peace will surely be achieved “The day we keep everything aside and work as one woman to achieve a goal, everything will answer in this country. The day we take the rightful steps and keep our personalities aside and tell this country we need peace, then peace will come. I think it stands with an event like this”.

The protest took place at the Yaounde Boulevard on Monday October 26. The surrounding was militarized. Circulation of vehicles around the area was suspended within the time if the protest. Before Yaounde, a similar protest had taken place in Kumba where the incident occurred.

By Sandrine M.