Campo: Unfulfilled promises put population at loggerheads with agro-industries, local authorities.

The industrial companies, notably palm production and processing company, CAMVERT SA, and logging companies, SOPHONY and BOISCAM, have been accused of non-respect of the terms of reference signed between the concerned companies, communities led by some traditional rulers and administrative authorities. 

The peace and tranquillity of the area was perturbed recently when the youth of the area mobilised and staged a protest against the companies, prompting the arrest and detention of over a dozen youth at the Campo Gendarmerie Brigade. The detained protesters were, however, later released.

Revisiting protest

Angry populations erected barricades along the Campo-Kribi Road in the morning of last January 17, 2025. The protest action, which occurred in Biba village, was geared towards preventing the passage of transportation trucks of the concerned companies. 

The population carried placards bearing their grievances such as nonpayment of royalties and ‘the non-compliance with the specifications’ signed between the agro-industries and communities.

Following the intervention of law enforcement officers reportedly acting on the instructions of local authorities, over a dozen of the demonstrators, mostly youth, were arrested and whisked to the Campo Gendarmerie Brigade where they were detained for several hours. 

The youth were said to have been later released, on the instruction of the Divisional Officer of Campo Subdivision, Igor Francis Bamock, after municipal councillors refused to hold the council session, planned for that day, if their children were not released from the detention facility.

Several days after the standoff, fear still looms over the population of Campo and vicinity as they refrain from discussing about the recent incident openly. Most of those who spoke to this reporter, opted for anonymity for fear of reprisals.

“There were 13 of us in custody. We spent half a day at the brigade,” one of the detained protesters recounted to The Guardian Post. 

“There was a council meeting the same day and the councillors decided not to take part unless we were released,” the protester further stated, anonymously.   

Local authority petitioned

Prior to the January 17 incident, the population of Mvae-Mabi canton on November 27, 2024, had addressed a petition to the Campo Divisional Officer against the companies, especially CAMVERT. 

In the petition, a copy of which The Guardian Post has seen, the population accused CAMVERT of violating the rights of the local community, failing to comply with the obligations set out in the reference document, damaging the ecosystem, failing to produce an Annual Work Plan, abbreviated in French as PTA for 2024, and destruction farmlands by elephants forced out of their habitat due to the industrial activities in the area. 

“Violation of the rights of the Mvae-Mabi local community; failure to comply with the pre-established obligations of the specifications; failure to complete the PTA for the 2023 financial year; non-existence of the PTA for the 2024 financial year; Influence peddling on traditional authorities; notorious irresponsibility in the management of work accidents; degradation of the ecosystem: destruction of village fields by elephants,” a portion of the petition read.

For the BOISCAM company, the populations are reproaching the company for what they term as violation of the community rights, forest plundering outside the exploitation zone, non-existence of a conventional policy or terms of reference and the non-payment of land royalties.

On its part, SOFONI is being chided, as stated in the community petition, for violation of community rights, looting of forests outside the logging zone, and non-existence of a conventional policy.

Local youth demand more from companies

Last January 17 demonstration, The Guardian Post gathered, is not the first of such protests as a similar protest was organised last December. 

As such, the recent protest was to further amplify the voices of the locals for the demands to be attended to as soon as possible. 

In addition to the complaints of non-compliance of conventions with the community, the youth from Campo employed by the companies are demanding better working conditions and “reliable positions” especially within CAMVERT. 

“They employ the guys from Campo like simple workers. They are the ones who have to dig the holes and plant and do the petty jobs,” an angry youth from Campo explained. 

For him, the positions of Director of Human Resources, Planting Assistants and other important functions within the company are given to non-indigenes of the area even when indigenes are better qualified. 

Traditional rulers weigh in

According to the His Majesty Ondo Pie Parfait, 3rd class traditional ruler of Bitandé-Assok village, one of the 19 affected villages, the grievances of the community have been made known to the companies and local authorities for a long time now.

He claimed that each time the grievances are voiced, the authorities resort to threats and intimidation. 

“...I was summoned to the SDO’s office in Kribi, where I was threatened and intimidated,” His Majesty Ondo Pie told The Guardian Post. 

“Are we strangers in Cameroon or are we Cameroonian citizens? I believe that every Cameroonian citizen has the possibility of claiming his rights. The claim should not be a threat...” the traditional ruler added. 

He also pointed out that the numerous demands of the population agreed in the convention with CAMVERT, very little or nothing has been done to implement projects in his village. 

“Out of more than 300 projects that we requested, there was only one drilling project in Mabiogo. The rest is nothing to report. Even the monthly salary provided for in the convention, so far no one has received 100 FCFA of that...our salary is intimidation at the SDO’s office,” the traditional authority insisted. 

For his part, the 3rd class traditional ruler of Malaba village, His Majesty Mette Dieudonné, explained that: “We want CAMVERT to work as we started at the beginning. We are not saying that we do not want CAMVERT”. 

Quizzed on what projects have been carried out in his village by CAMVERT, in line with the convention, the chief said he had requested for the construction of borehole water project, construction of classrooms and passage hut at the palace, but nothing has been realised.

“CAMVERT at the beginning was very good with us chiefs. After a while they let us down. It is about three years now that we do not even see CAMVERT officials anymore,” he recounted.

On Tuesday January 21, this reporter was present at the office of the Divisional Officer of Campo to get the administration’s own side. Despite having booked an appointment with the civil authority, he was unavailable on excuse of having a meeting in Kribi.

However, following the recent tension between the population of Campo and environs with the industrial companies, The Guardian Post has learned that a meeting is being planned in Kribi in the coming days to seek solutions to the crisis.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3354 of Thursday January 30, 2025