Motorcycle taxis are banned from circulating between 8 pm and 6 am in Buea, Limbe, Tiko, and Muyuka “until further notice.” The decision is contained in an order signed, on September 9, by Mr. Chaibou, senior divisional officer of the Fako division. In the decision, "we considered the majority’s movements and economic security. We know that by 8 pm, [almost] all of the people who were active during the day have already gone home," the administrative authority said on the national radio.  

According to the senior divisional officer, the measure is designed not only to clean up the sector but also to guarantee the safety of the population. The decision comes against a backdrop of renewed violence in the region since the start of the new school year on September 4. According to CRTV, last Friday, an individual riding a motorcycle threw an explosive device in Limbe, the capital of the Fako division. According to some people, the device exploded killing at least one person. A few days ago in Muea, two people burned to death in their car after an attack attributed to separatists. A third person trying to escape was shot dead, reports Africanews. 

This restriction on motorcycle taxis’ movements is nothing new in the South-West. In 2018, the governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai, issued a curfew from 9 pm to 7 am, which resulted in a ban on motorcycle taxis, the two-wheeled machines considered by the authorities to be the separatists' main means of transport.

Since 2017, the South-West and northwest have been shaken by an armed conflict pitting the army against separatist groups, which are particularly known for their attacks, assassinations, and kidnappings.  According to the International Crisis Group (ICG), more than 6,000 people have been killed since the start of the conflict, and over 700,000 others have fled to French-speaking regions and neighboring Nigeria.

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