Adopting Commemoration To World realities

Cameroon will this year observe the National Day on 20 May, 2020 within the context of the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has taken the world by storm. Every sector of human society has been badly affected by the disease which in just five months of its appearance has killed hundreds of thousands ironically recording its highest devastating death toll in countries with some of the best health infrastructure on earth. 
Faced with a health disaster of global magnitude, scientists have recommended the washing of hands and social distancing as simple but magical formulae to keep the disease at bay. In applying the barrier measures against COVID-19, government has had to make a number of adjustments which equally require that Cameroonians should forgo certain privileges and events. One such sacrifices will be the absence of the usual public celebrations that have characterised the May 20 National Day which will be in its 48th edition this year. 
The theme for this year is; “All United in the face of COVID-19 pandemic, for a resilient Cameroon, resolutely turned towards peace, stability, and economic development,” which matches the prevailing atmosphere. An underpinning factor in the National Day event in spite of the lack of public manifestations is the pivotal role of the defence forces in ensuring peace, stability and territorial integrity of the fatherland. All the components of the defence forces have been fully engaged within the past few years more than ever, in surmounting the challenges that the country faces. Many have qualified the Coronavirus as an invisible energy that has declared war on humanity. Cameroon is having its own share of the ailment which elements of the armed forces equally taking centre stage in ensuring that the country can be able to ward off the worse- case-scenario of COVID-19. Their efforts have either been in effective distribution of protective health material, providing health care or assisting in the transportation of vital equipment to enclave or insecure parts of the country. 
While keeping pace with the raging pandemic, the defence forces have not sidelined their traditional combat grounds which have of late tested their professional know-how and self mastery. Be it the Boko Haram insurgency in the Far North Region with extremist from neighbouring countries making fatal incursions into the country, to the refugee influx from the Central African Republic into the East Region some with ammunitions or the separatist attacks in the South West and North West regions, the defence forces have been on the alert at each circumstance. 
For the past 60 years, the Defence forces have sought to maintain the natio...