2,000 Nigerian Fishermen Flee Cameroun

About 2,000 Nigerian fishermen have fled Cameroun Republic because of
violence and extortion by soldiers and the local tribes in the
country.
Mr. James Audi, who identifies himself as the leader of the fleeing
fishermen in Cameroun, narrated their ordeal Thursday to journalistsin
Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
He said despite being in possession of resident's permits, they
werebeing subjected to constant harassment, incarceration and
extortion by gendarmes who seem not to accord recognition to the
residency permits in their possession.
"We are always been inundated with constant harassment, unjustifiable
incarceration, intimidation and extortion in the hands of gendarmes.
"Our women are worst affected by this onslaught because of the manner
their fundamental rights are being abused with impunity. They are
constantly being harassed, especially on market days whenever they
take their wares to the market," he said.
Audi further said apart from the constant harassment they face
fromsecurity operatives, the local Banana and Musku tribes with whom
they have cohabited for decades are threatening them with violence.
According to him, the attack by the locals, which started in 2004,
made the locals to bar them from fishing.
"For close to three months, our economy has been relegated to the
background following the directive given by the local tribes that we
should fish no more, this has never happened to us," he lamented.
He added that following the renewed violence, in which they were
thetargets, they were left with no option than to flee the area for
fear ofbeing killed.
He explained that their plight was worsened by the fact that
securityoperatives who should have come to their rescue when they were
being attacked were treating their complaints with levity.
"We have been living in that area for the past 70 years when our
grandfathers settled in the area but we never had it so bad
followingthe discrimination from local residents," he added.
He said they were forced to bring their case to the public after they
had reported their alleged maltreatment to the Nigerian ambassadorto
Cameroun and no action was taken to address the situation.
Audi said while they were fleeing, they were attacked during which one
person was severely wounded.
He appealed to both the Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities to come
to their rescue so that they could go back to fishing.