Road traffic between Cameroon and the Central African Republic (CAR) resumed this week after Cameroonian transporters ended a two-week strike that had paralysed the vital Douala-Bangui trade corridor and halted more than 300 trucks at the border.
The strike, which began in early October, was called to protest persistent roadside harassment that the drivers attribute to Central African security forces. The blockade threatened fuel supplies to the landlocked CAR, which relies heavily on imports routed through Cameroon.
The breakthrough followed mediation between Cameroonian and Central African authorities in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian capital, earlier this week. Under the agreement, the two governments committed to facilitating the resumption of traffic and progressively restoring CAR’s supply of petroleum products.
The first tanker trucks crossed the border at Cantonnier en route to Bangui, the CAR capital. To ensure the deal held, the governor of Cameroon’s East Region, Grégoire Mvongo, and the sub-prefect of Baboua in CAR, Norbert Niéndé, met transporters at Garoua-Boulaï near the frontier to communicate the decisions reached in Yaoundé. Mvongo said the measures were “favourably received” and drivers pledged to resume work without delay.
Amadou Bachirou, coordinator of the National Union of Cameroonian Transporters, welcomed the security guarantees announced by the authorities for drivers operating in CAR territory. Sub-prefect Niéndé stressed the long-standing cooperative ties between the two countries and acknowledged the crisis had inflicted negative consequences on both sides. The resumption is expected to gradually restore supplies to the Central African market.
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