West Region: Governor wades into Bamoun, Tikar clash, drums peace.

The superscale civil administrator took the decision after clashes over the weekend between the two tribes left at least three persons dead and property destroyed.

Speaking to the state broadcaster CRTV, on Monday, Governor Awa Fonka said the activity is linked to bickering over the Nguon cultural festival that was planned to be launched in Magba. The Taikars vehemently resisted the move.

The rejection, the senior civil administrator said, led to a confrontation between the Tikars and the Bamouns. He said over 20 shops were looted and razed.

Governor Awa Fonka went on to state that prior to the clash, the Sultan of the Bamouns, Nabil Mbombo Njoya, had issued a communiqué calling on his people to pray for peace while the leader of the Tikars had also done same.

Forces of law and order, the award-winning administrator said, were swiftly dispatched to ensure peace reigns. 

“On the side of the administration, we have requested that all activities that have to do with the Nguon festival be suspended for now,” the Governor stated. 

Both communities, the Governor insisted, have the same ancestors as such “there is no point why there is this atmosphere of conflict between them”.

He equally tasked all the parties concerned as well as the elite of the area to work towards peace.

The situation, it should be said, was brought under control thanks to quick intervention of the Governor who left no stone unturned in ensuring that the tension was de-escalated.

The Nguon Festival in brief 

To note that the Nguon Festival is an aged long fiesta that celebrates the rites and tradition of the Bamoun people. 

Following the inscription of the festival on the prestigious Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, on December 6, 2023, experts advised that it be given a global representation. 

The next edition of the festival is expected to run from November 29 to December 8, 2024 in Foumban.

Revisiting Bamoun, Tikars clashes

The Bamouns and Tikars, it should be said, have always been mired in occasional conflicts. Tikars have constantly been refusing to submit to the authority of the Sultan despite being under the Noun Division.

Recall that this is not the first time these two communities are clashing. In February 2023, a clash erupted between the people after the King of the Tikars, His Majesty Soule Ngamon III was undressed in public and molested by guards of Sultan Nabil Mbombo Njoya for referring to the sultan as “my son”. The Sultan was on a tour to some localities in the Noun Division then when the incident happened.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3199 of Wednesday August 14, 2024