By Princeley Njukang, Cameroon
"We spent all our years working to get this shelter for our children. When the German government
helped us erect the structure, we knew salvation had come. But today, we are ruined.” Speaking is Bah
Galus Bah, founder and CEO of Foundation United for Handicapped, Orphans and Street Children of
Ekona Area (FUHOSEA), which runs a rehabilitation Home for disabled and vulnerable persons in Ekona,
a locality in Cameroon’s Southwest.
Completed in 2016 thanks to a strategic partnership with the German Foreign Ministry of Economic and
Development Cooperation, (BMZ) the FUHOSEA Home was designed to provide shelter, education and a
training workshop for disabled and vulnerable persons. "Our plan was to move in as soon as it was
completed,” he says.
Just when it seemed as though all was said for the multipurpose centre to go operational, an
armed conflict erupted in Cameroon’s Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions. The conflict
further exacerbated the situation of thousands of disabled person as access to education, healthcare,
food, shelter and portable water which was already difficult grew worse by the day. Human Right Watch
has repeatedly reported that the Conflict which is soon clocking eight years is terribly impeding access to
basic services for persons with disabilities, stressing that urgent humanitarian assistance is dire. “Our
partners advised us that it was not safe for us to occupy the home due to the wave of insecurity brought
about by the conflict. We moved to Buea with all the children under our care, and the then director of
the Rehabilitation Institute for the Blind allowed us to stay in the centre,” Bah recounts.
On Monday, July 29, 2024, alleged separatist fighters invaded the home, completely dismantling the
roof in the process. "I was home here in Buea around 1:00 P.M. local time (12 P.N. GMT plus 1) when I
received a distress call from our care-taker who had gone to clean the compound. He informed me that
he had gone to do his usual cleaning but had seen armed individuals in the compound with heavy guns,
destroying the roof of the structure," Bah explains.
Receiving such information on a Monday afternoon was even more disturbing for the CEO. This is
because movements on Mondays have been extremely limited owing to the Anglophone conflict. The
day has since January 2017 been declared a ‘ghost town’ by separatist leaders as part of efforts to
economically weaken the country’s government to give in to their demands of creating a break –away
state they call Ambazonia. Consequently, he could only make phone calls. "I contacted different people
in Ekona to understand what was happening, but none of them provided a clear explanation. All I got
was that our sheltered home had been unroofed, nothing more," he says.
"I wanted to immediately go to Ekona and see what was really happening But my family advised me not
to because it wasn’t safe," adds the leader, himself a visually impaired person.
According to eyewitness accounts, armed individuals believed to belong to the Ekona faction of
Ambazonian freedom Fighters arrived the sheltered home around 6:00 A.M. local time, (5 A.m. GMT
plus 1) and began scattering the roof. A local farmer confirmed to DNA on basis of anonymity due to
insecurity that she clearly saw the group of separatists fighters that morning but could never have
suspected that they were there for a destructive mission. "Even I could never believe that they would target us," Bah tells DNA. "They know us too well. They know that this place is for disabled and
vulnerable persons," he continued, his eyes weary with tears.
While it is not clear why separatist fighters attacked and unroofed the private social welfare institution,
sources in Ekona suggest that the attack might have been motivated by fears that state defense forces
had plans to use the home as a military base. "We had no knowledge of any planned military
occupation. Even if we had known, we would never have accepted," intimates the CEO.
The removal of roofing sheets from the structure leaves Mr. Gallus and the FUHOSEA beneficiaries, most
of whom are students, in a precarious situation. "We do not know if the building would withstand these
heavy rains. The furniture is deteriorating day by day. We are demoralized and shattered," Bah says.
In recent years, FUHOSEA has played a prominent role in advocating for the education and
empowerment of persons with disabilities across Anglophone Cameroon. In 2023 alone, they were
caring for over 103 children. For these children, FUHOSEA has become an essential provider of
educational supplies. "FUHOSEA has been a great help to me," says Mbiy Louisa, a visually impaired
student in Bamenda. "I do not think those who attacked the home were in their right minds," she adds,
noting that the separatists have not only inflicted disabilities on people but are now deriving pleasure
from extinguishing their hope. Adel Nguizana, another FUHOSEA beneficiary pursuing her Master's
degree in the University of Buea, fears the destruction of the home would make it challenging for the
organization to continue supporting them. "They have been incredibly helpful, providing us with Braille
papers and substantial financial assistance. Now, I believe they will prioritize repairing the unroofed
structure."
More than two months after the structure was attacked, the government has yet to issue an official
statement. Persons with disabilities in Anglophone Cameroon view this as indicative of the state's
systemic neglect of issues that concern them. "It reflects a lack of commitment from the government,
which one would expect to address the matter with utmost urgency," laments Desmond Kum Nji,
Secretary-General of Hope Social Union for the Visually Impaired (HSUVI). He regrets the media's
silence, which he thinks could have pressured the government to investigate and bring the perpetrators
of the sheltered home attack to justice while assisting FUHOSEA in repairing the roof. "This is how we
have been treated during this conflict, despite our double tragedy."
Established in 2004, FUHOSEA's only plea now is for the public to intervene in any way possible to
salvage the nearly collapsing structure. "We rely on everyone's support, both the local and international
community. If nothing else, they should at least consider these vulnerable children," Kum Nji Desmond
implores.
Edited by Princely Kesah.
Kesah Princely