On April 17, Emmanuel Mariel Djikdent, senior divisional officer of Mfoundi, issued a directive to mayors to halt all road control activities. He emphasized on public radio CRTV that public roads should be managed by police and gendarmerie forces, not municipalities. He stated, “We cannot tolerate a capital city where incidents are incited. I have given clear instructions: no more control outside of the police and gendarmerie!”

This directive was issued in the wake of a tragic incident involving a mototaxi driver and his passenger, who lost their lives following a clash with municipal agents. The incident, as reported by CRTV, began when the driver was stopped by municipal police in Yaoundé. The driver’s refusal to comply led to a confrontation, which ended tragically when the driver, attempting to evade control, ended up under a truck, causing instant fatalities for both him and his passenger.

The incident sparked a wave of outrage among mototaxi drivers, known for their solidarity. In retaliation, a large group of these drivers, colloquially known as “bendskineurs,” blocked access to the town hall. Law enforcement had to resort to tear gas to disperse the angry crowd.

Tensions between municipal police and taxi drivers are not uncommon. The police often accuse the drivers of indiscipline, operating without proper documentation, and resisting the payment of various occupation-related taxes. Conversely, mototaxi drivers complain about regular extortion by the municipal police, commonly referred to as “Awara.” In response to this, the Mfoundi divisional officer urged mototaxi association and union presidents to instill more discipline among their members. He stated, “Mototaxi drivers are often perceived as disorderly, but their activity is a livelihood. We ask for discipline.”

This is not the first time administrative authorities have taken action against the activities of municipal agents. In February 2019, the then-senior divisional officer of Mfoundi, Jean Claude Tsila (who passed away in August 2020), suspended the municipal police from operating in his administrative district for a month. This decision was made following a brawl between a mototaxi driver and municipal agents in the Elig-Edzoa neighborhood in the city’s 1st district.

Patricia Ngo Ngouem