Cameroon transporters call April 30 strikeBy BISONG ETAHOBEN in Yaounde | Monday, April 23   2012 at  14:29

Cameroonian transporters have called a strike for April 30 to protest what they said was the high price of fuel and the infiltration of the industry by unregistered operators.

They have also said that the petrol sold at filling stations is of poor quality and is damaging their vehicles.

Motorcycles, taxis, cars, buses and heavy duty transporters have been asked to park their vehicles on the fixed date.

However a faction of the transporters has dissociated itself from the strike call while other factions of the transporters have been holding meetings to decide whether to support the strike call or not.

A statement from the the National Syndicate of Transporters for Peace (NSTP) said that it had nothing to do with “this initiative and dissociates itself from responsibility for any actions resulting there from."

The group attributed the strike action on “certain external and internal influences susceptible to cause a menace to the internal peace and stability of our country due to the fact that our country is undertaking some political reforms and is intensifying the fight against embezzlement of public funds, without forgetting the latent effects of the last presidential election of October 9, 2011 that resulted in several protests …”

Over 60 per cent of heavy duty transporters in Cameroon originate from the three mostly Muslim northern regions of Cameroon.

The reference to the fight against embezzlement of public funds in the NSTP statement refers to the recent arrest of former Secretary General in the Presidency of the Republic and former Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation Marafa Hamidou Yaya who hails from the North Region and whose arrest has sparked off massive protests by his political constituency.

Marafa and former Prime Minister Chief Ephraim Inoni were arrested last week in connection with the embezzlement of funds intended for the purchase of a Boeing business jet for President Paul Biya involving the sum of $31 million.

The transport industry in Cameroon has for long protested the high cost and quality of petrol and the presence of illegal transporters.

In February 2008 violence in the country popularly dubbed “The Hunger Riots” was sparked off when the transporters decided to go on strike over the problems.