Venerated singer, Prince Yerima Afoa-Kom has urged local monarchs of the North West Region as auxiliaries of the state to inform the Cameroon government about the twists and turns of the Anglophone conflict which the North West region has been under for the past six years.
The renowned promoter of culture and notable from Kom who is Knight of the Cameroon order of valor was moved exceptionally by the destruction of the Mejang palace following a fire which razed the structure alongside its Queen mother on Wednesday July 5, 2023. Amateur video footages suggest she was burnt alive with another woman who was with her at the time of the incident.
“I have never heard that even during a conventional war, palaces are targets” he lamented as he went on to say “this is an appeal for you to break the silence, the Fons union, you come up as one and appeal as auxiliary of the administration, we don’t know which palace maybe next’.
According to Prince Yerima, the Fons have not been doing what they ought to be doing as royal fathers, “…even if you were sleeping, wake up now. You cannot be an auxiliary of the administration and will not inform the administration on happenings. Innocent people across both sides are dying and only the families are left to feel the pinch.”
While some palaces have been abandoned by some traditional rulers who are themselves on asylum for years, some have been accused by both state and non-state fractions for disloyalty, warned, kidnapped, tortured or exiled. This confirms latest reports which state a gross violation of rights by the warring parties of the ongoing sociopolitical conflict.