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North West Region: Over 20,000 Fundong, Bum Subdivision Residents Cut Off

Par Kimeng Hilton
12 Aug 2026 13:59
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A landslide on August 8, 2026 cut off the Bambui-Fundong highway at Boyui, 15 km from Fundong. Boyo SDO Menyong Gilbert Sunday has requested over 200 million FCFA from MINTP to build an emergency bypass.

More than 20,000 residents across Fundong and Bum Subdivisions in Boyo Division of the North West Region have been severed from Bamenda, the regional capital. This follows a catastrophic road collapse along the Bambui-Fundong regional highway. The incident, caused by a massive landslide, occurred during the overnight hours between Saturday, August 8, and Sunday, August 9, 2026. The Bambui-Fundong road is a 57.6 km stretch connecting the Ring Road hub at Bambui to the headquarters of Boyo Division at Fundong.

15 Km To Fundong

The site of the collapse is situated at Boyui (PK 49+200), roughly 15 kilometers outside Fundong - the administrative headquarters of Boyo Division. The affected portion of the highway lies on a steep, hazardous incline ascending toward Alim after crossing the valley floor from Njinikom. According to Menyong Gilbert Sunday, the Senior Divisional Officer, SDO for Boyo, the entire roadbed had earlier cracked. And later caved in, leaving the primary transport artery impassable for conventional vehicular traffic.

No Casualties

While no casualties or damage to civilian passenger vehicles have been recorded, movement is restricted exclusively to a few daring motorcycle riders navigating the unstable terrain, the SDO told Cameroon Tribune Online from Fundong by phone in the night of Sunday, August 9, 2026.

Heavy Rainfall

The Senior Divisional Officer for Boyo Division confirmed that the collapse was caused by torrential rains in tandem with significant violations of administrative traffic directives. Observing the deterioration of the slope over the past year, SDO Menyong had enacted Prefectoral Order N° 58 /PO/E.32/PS on August 7, 2026.

The order explicitly barred heavy-duty trucks, 70-seater buses, and all vehicles exceeding 7 tons from traveling along the Boyui stretch. It mandated that heavy cargo and passenger buses load and offload in Njinikom Subdivision. Transferring passengers and goods into smaller transport vehicles to protect the fragile road assets.

Ban Violations

Despite these precautionary measures, preliminary investigations now reveal that about midnight on Saturday August 8, 2026, at least two heavy-duty trucks violated the SDO’s ban and traversed the compromised section. The severe vibrations generated by these heavy loads, combined with saturated earth from ongoing heavy downpours, caused the road structure to fail completely, Menyong Gilbert explained.

Pre-emptive Measures

"The administration pre-empted and took measures to prevent the worst from happening, even though it has happened," stated SDO Menyong. "We are comforted that no loss of life has been recorded... but the population is cut off, and they'll suffer for some time."

Looming Socio-Economic, School Resumption Crisis

The timing of the road failure presents a severe administrative and economic challenge. The cutoff impacts between 10,000 and 12,000 residents in Fundong central. And over 20,000 individuals when accounting for neighboring Bum Subdivision of Boyo Division. With the upcoming national school reopening rapidly approaching, local authorities are raising concerns regarding the movement of civil servants, Divisional Delegates, teachers, and students returning from holiday.

"We don't have any choice than doing so... You know that nothing will work if we don't have free circulation of goods and people," SDO Menyong emphasized. "Very soon it will be school reopening, the new school year. How will teachers go back to their duty posts? How will Divisional Delegates and those people go back to serve get there?"

Proposed Bypass Routes, Technical Challenges

Given the steep geography of the Boyui hill, full technical reconstruction of the collapsed regional highway is expected to be a prolonged process. Consequently, local administration and civil leaders are prioritizing immediate bypass options.

Bypass Estimate Sent To MINTP

SDO Menyong, alongside the Divisional Delegate of Public Works for Boyo, have drafted an emergency project document submitted directly to the Minister of Public Works, MINTP. The proposal calls for the construction of an extended bypass starting from the Njinikom Roundabout in Njinikom Subdivision and terminating at Alim in Fundong Subdivision. The SDO estimated that execution of this critical bypass will require at least 200 million FCFA.

Jude Waindim, Questor of the North West Regional Assembly and Boyo elite, noted that another potential bypass branches off from Njinikom through Tinifombi-Ghang, passing beneath the Laikom Fon's Palace to re-emerge at Alim. However, Waindim cautioned that while this route is shorter, portions of Alim remain landslide-prone and the track is currently unpassable for four-wheeled motor vehicles.

Long-Term Rehabilitation Delays

Prior to the sudden collapse, the Ministry of Public Works had allocated a budget of over 700 million FCFA in 2026 for the rehabilitation of the Bambui-Fundong stretch. The Boyo Tenders Board convened on Friday, August 7, 2026, to process emergency contract bids. However, final awards were delayed to Monday, August 10, 2026, due to technical issues and network congestion on the government's online procurement platform, COLEPS.

Save Our Souls, Please!

SDO Menyong Gilbert and Questor Jude Waindim have appealed to the Minister of Public Works to urgently engage an engineering firm capable of mobilizing equipment immediately to open the proposed bypass. While permanent repairs are arranged in Boyui landslide area. In the interim, SDO Menyong has called on the public to remain calm, law-abiding, and patient as emergency intervention steps are finalized