At the regional hospital mortuary in Buea,
"We went to the scene and realised that two people were already dead. One was a taxi driver we know very well,
"We don't know who shot the driver."
The population of Buea, the capital of one of
There are fears separatists are stepping up attacks as the continent, and the world, looks to
On 12 January, a soldier was killed by a handmade bomb in an attack carried out by separatists in Buea. And in the neighbouring North-West anglophone region, opposition Senator Henry Kemende was shot dead.
Taxis unprotected
Taxi drivers in Buea are offering a vital service, especially after the motorcycle taxi ban due to unrest. They feel targeted.
"We are vulnerable, we don't know who will be the next person" to be killed, says taxi driver
He is referring to the anglophone crisis, which started as peaceful protests calling out discrimination in municipal jobs. After a brutal crackdown by security forces, separatists took up arms against the central government.
Separatist fighters, who enforce mandatory "ghost towns", where they require residents to stay home, consider anyone violating these calls for a lockdown to be the enemy.
#Cameroon currently under the spotlight with the ongoing #AFCON2022 ???
Fans going there to watch their fav teams playing.??
But do they know what's the human rights situation like there? Not as fun as football.
Read more on @hrw world report, out today https://t.co/u46upCno7D pic.twitter.com/wm248KQrqT
-- ilaria allegrozzi (@ilariallegro)
"Every day we lose one driver by a shooting or bombing and nobody is talking about it," says Chu, adding that taxi drivers' contributions are not being recognised.
"We have contributed a lot to keep Buea municipality going," he tells Batata
At the start of
However, the situation has not gone as planned because drivers are scared of losing their taxis or their lives, says driver Man El-Musa.
"So many of the drivers are afraid that if you go to Limbe they might take note of your car," and attack you, he says.
If the taxi drivers stop work, circulation grinds to a halt. Drivers believe this is the main reason why they are targeted by separatists.
"We are calling on our members to be vigilant. They should think about the way they talk - if they carry passengers they shouldn't speak about anything political," says Chu, also a taxi union executive member.
In the interim, taxi drivers are trying to look out for themselves.
"We have to be our own security," says taxi driver John Litute.
"If you know that a place is insecure, you don't drive there, and you don't drive to that particular area. That's what I advise drivers to do."
Copyright Radio France Internationale. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source