Cameroon royal palace under siege

By Randy Azeng
BBC, Wum, north-western Cameroon

The chiefs (centre) have been held hostage for three weeks

Some 6,000 women in north-western Cameroon have spent the past three weeks protesting at a royal palace in a land dispute with cattle-herders.

They have taken seven local chiefs hostage and banned all parties and celebrations, halting all social life.

But now, the harsh conditions they have subjected themselves to are beginning to take their toll on their health.

Many are suffering from pneumonia and body pains, says Dr Kwa Joseph from the hospital in Wum, 83km north of Bamenda.

The immediate cause of the protest was an attempt by the Divisional Officer to enforce an order expelling about 600 women from a piece of land where they are cultivating food crops.

The piece of land is being claimed by a herder from the Fulani ethnic group.

Fearing that they would be dispossessed of more farm land, the Supreme Traditional Women's Council, Ndouh-Fumbwi, rallied women in the village to debate the issue.

After a couple of meetings, the women vowed to embark on an indefinite sit-in at the palace of the Paramount Chief, or Fon, of Aghem in Wum.

And now, women from two neighbouring villages have rallied to their cause.

Poor hygiene

The women have accused the administration, as well as traditional rulers, of favouring grazers from whom they collect money and cows.

The women have since besieged the palace of their Fon where they are spending day and night in the open air.

Sleeping rough is starting to take its toll

With plastic bags and cloths to sleep on, the health situation of the women is now starting to be a cause for concern.

The hot dry days and the cold wet nights coupled with poor hygiene and sanitation are making matters worse for the women.

Dr Kwa said that he was treating about 10 cases every day.

Because of poverty, most of the women only go to hospital when their conditions are really serious.

The hospital has already put in place a contingency plan to handle any emergencies, according to Dr Kwa, who is also a specialist in disaster management.

This has prompted the mayor of the Wum Rural Council, Mr Cheng Edward, to foot the women's medical bills.

Cleansing ceremonies

Intense negotiations have been taking place between the local administration, traditional rulers and representatives of the grazers and farmers.

But the women's morale remains high

After the intervention of former Prime Minister Simon Achidi Achu, the Wum administration revoked its earlier order expelling the women from their farms.

It was also agreed that some 120 Fulani grazers who had been identified by a Lands Dispute Commission to be occupying farmlands would be relocated.

With this decision, the women agreed to end their strike and to carry out a traditional cleansing ceremony of the chiefs and the entire village.

But the women soon changed their minds when they learnt that the Divisional Officer for Wum had dropped the names of two grazers from the list of grazers to be relocated.

The paramount Fon of Wum, Bah-Mbi III whom the women had taken hostage, criticised the DO's action, which he said had cast doubts in the minds of the women about the ability of the administration to solve the crisis.

Social life has virtually grounded to a halt as the general population of Wum has heeded to the women's ban on all types celebrations.