Reclaiming, Securing Ports Land: Concertation Meeting For Peaceful End

A meeting to sensitize the population of Youpwe in the Douala II subdivision on the reclaiming, and securing of the Douala Ports Authority (PAD) land project took place this Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in the Senior Divisional Office. During the meeting, the SDO for Wouri Mboutou Benjamin urged the population of Youpwe, which is one of the affected areas, to remain calm while consultation and concertations will continue in other to ensure peaceful fencing of the Douala Ports Authority Land. The meeting between the population of Youpwe and the PAD authorities was characterized by heated debates and arguments that pushed the SDO to call on all to retire for more work to be done. The population claims that as per an old tracing, the fence of the PAD is supposed to pass behind most houses which will mean that very few houses will be destroyed while the new tracing will lead to the destruction of more than 5000 houses that will leave thousands of people homeless.
It should be recalled that the Douala Ports has embarked on a project to extend, regain lost land and secure existing ones. As a result, some neighbourhoods that have occupied the land like in Essengue have been destroyed while other neigbourhoods are still to be destroyed. The case of Youpwe is particular as the PAD is about fencing its land which might lead to the destruction of some houses within the neighborhood. During the meeting with the SDO on Tuesday, April 5 both parties laid down their complaints while the population of Youpwe was accusing the PAD of trying to lead the SDO into error. The population also disclosed that the governor of the littoral region Samuel Dieudonné Ivaha Diboua had assured them that the old tra...