Story, Louvier Kindo Tombe
When the announcement of the evaluation meeting was made, there was joy in Campo that at last, the Senior Divisional Officer for the Ocean, NOUHOU BELLO, will give a listening ear to the worries of the community that have been lying on the table of CAMVERT officials and the Divisional Officer for Campo for years. But when the discovered that the meeting is to hold in Kribi, close to 100 KMs away from campo, their anxiety died down.
“It is not proper to discuss Campo issues out of Campo,” a young farmer in Campo who preferred to stay anonymous told News Upfront. “This is not the first time and it has never ended in our favour.”
The meeting was however a routine annual evaluation exercise by CAMVERT and its local partners on the implementation of the Terms of Reference signed between the different parties.
According to the SDO for the Ocean, the agro-industriy, CAMVERT, had not convened the evaluation during tha last two years for reasons best known to the management.
“I blame the agro-industry for that silence and for its poor communication,” says NOUHOU BELLO.
The SDO chaired the opening and closing ceremony of the evaluation workshop that was attended by traditional rulers from the 19 villages that constitute Campo sub division, 3 youths of Campo among them those who were arrested during the public demonstration in Campo that is said to have provoked the evaluation meeting, including scribes of the agro-industry, CAMVERT.
The crisis, which has been ongoing for years, stems from concerns over the presence and operations of the agro-industry in the locality, employment opportunities, and environmental degradation just to name but these.
Despite numerous meetings and agreements, the community’s concerns remain unaddressed, fueling tensions between the communities and the agro-industry.
Before making the trip to Kribi, the youth of Campo were confident that a lasting solution will be reached.
Instead, the meeting ended with the setting up of a new committee in the form of a platform tasked with reflecting on how to start resolving the numerous issues at stake.
Many community members especially those who were not opportune to make the Kribi trip to attend the meeting have expressed disappointment with the outcome, citing concerns that the new platform may not be empowered to take decisive action.
Others have questioned the need for another resolution framework, arguing that the existing frameworks and agreements have not been effectively implemented.
The situation in Campo highlights the complexities and challenges of resolving conflicts between communities and industries. As the search for a solution continues, the community’s patience wears thin, and the need for effective and sustainable solutions becomes increasingly urgent.
The new framework
CAMVERT and its local partners had agreed on some key points to be implemented by both parties as main solution to the crisis in the community.
To the community, the points have not been implemented to their satisfaction while to CAMVERT, they are doing their best.
That is why every year; a workshop is convened to evaluate the implementation.
At the Kribi meeting, CAMVERT presented a handful of projects they have carried out in the community ranging from roads, health, education, economic empowerment among others.
They say they have even gone past the Terms of Reference.
News Upfront gathered that the issue is that some of the implemented projects were not the priorities of the community.
With the recent developments in the community, the recent annual evaluation forum saw need to redefine strategies to address the situation and that is how the idea of a joint platform was born.
The platform is expected to be a tripartite platform comprising members from the community, CAMVERT officials, and local administration.
The platform is to meet in trimestral sessions excerpt otherwise. The platform shall be financed solely by CAMVERT according to its funds.
Challenges
If the idea of the platform is challenging, it is even more challenging to note that the setting up process is not over. The Kribi meeting made the proposal but the proposal was again sent to a different commission for advanced deliberations.
The Kribi meeting made proposals for civil society organizations to feature in the platform but even the SDO questioned the criteria for the selection of members of the platform indicating that laid down principles need to be adopted first.
This to the Campo community is a delay tactic that might take the time it wants to set, and in the meantime, the crisis continues on the field.
The delay is further felt by the fact that the functioning of the platform is still not adopted.
The million dollar question on every lip now to know what will become of the crisis as focus is now on setting up a platform for dialogue, given that the effects are been felt on a daily basis.
