A day of sustained protest by frustrated residents of the Sandpit neighbourhood in Buea, regional capital of Cameroon’s Southwest region culminated in the restoration of electricity late on Tuesday night, following a four-month total blackout.
On the morning of December 23, inhabitants of Sandpit blocked the major road near CONGELCAM and into Sandpit, severing traffic in both directions. The protest was a response to the prolonged power outage that has crippled daily life and business activities in the community.
Protesters expressed deep frustration, stating that numerous appeals to the electricity utility company, ENEO, and local officials had yielded no results. The roadblock caused significant traffic disruptions throughout the day, only easing after local authorities engaged with the demonstrators and pledged to address the crisis.
That pledge was put to the test hours later. Under intense pressure from the community’s unwavering protest, ENEO technicians were deployed to the area. Power was successfully restored to the Sandpit neighbourhood on the night of December 23, bringing a tense day to a close.
While power has been restored and only flickered once, some residents remain cautious, vowing to continue monitoring the situation to ensure the power supply remains stable, if not, they may take to the streets again.
