{"id":8282,"date":"2022-01-03T18:15:51","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T18:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/uncategorized\/cameroon-conflict-looms-over-afcon-stadium-with-kick-off-just-6-days-away"},"modified":"2022-01-03T19:58:49","modified_gmt":"2022-01-03T19:58:49","slug":"cameroon-conflict-looms-over-afcon-stadium-with-kick-off-just-6-days-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/cameroon-conflict-looms-over-afcon-stadium-with-kick-off-just-6-days-away","title":{"rendered":"Cameroon Conflict Looms Over AFCON Stadium With Kick-Off Just 6 Days Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. <\/strong><\/span>LIMBE, Cameroon – Droves of armored vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon’s conflict-torn South West Region ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer finals starting on Jan. 9 that separatist militants have vowed to disrupt.<\/p>\n

Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six cities, but security is potentially most at threat in Limbe, a city on the tropical Atlantic coast whose surrounding region has been rocked by armed attacks since war broke out in 2017.The conflict, in which armed groups are trying to form a breakaway state called Ambazonia, has killed at least 3,000 people and forced nearly one million to flee. Violence has worsened this year as separatists increase their use of improvised explosives.<\/p>\n

“My fear … is that the recent phenomenon of bomb blasts which have been happening in other parts … could be a common phenomenon during this AFCON period,” said local journalist Honore Kuma.<\/p>\n

Insecurity is just one issue facing the tournament. Concerns about the readiness of stadiums and the spread of the omicron COVID-19 variant have also made headlines in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Limbe’s Omnisport Stadium will host matches from Group F comprising Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania and Gambia. The group’s first game will be between Tunisia and Mali on Jan. 12. The nearby regional capital of Buea, where some Group F training will take place, was struck by two explosions in November including one in a university that wounded 11 students.Authorities have kept security plans under wraps, but promised there will be no disruption to Group F matches. Armed police, gendarmes and soldiers are already positioned at major intersections. Checkpoints have been set up on roads into the city.<\/p>\n

“AFCON will take place in very good conditions. There are no grounds for concern,” said Emmanuel Ledoux Engamba, senior official of Fako territory, which includes Limbe and Buea.<\/p>\n

The separatist conflict began in the English-speaking North West and South West regions in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested against their perceived marginalization by the primarily French-speaking national government. A violent crackdown by security forces radicalized the movement. Armed groups formed amid the regions’ forests and cocoa plantations.<\/p>\n

As Limbe readies for an influx of fans, some residents said they are not focused on soccer.<\/p>\n

“How will I enjoy it while my brothers and sisters are suffering because of the Anglophone crisis? Every day they are dying,” said 33-year-old Roland, who lives near the Limbe stadium.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Gambia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Gambia. LIMBE, Cameroon – Droves of armored vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon’s conflict-torn South West Region ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer finals starting on Jan. 9 that separatist militants have vowed to disrupt. Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six cities, but security is potentially […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":8281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,17],"tags":[2368,2355,2361,3768,260],"class_list":["post-8282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-sport","tag-afcon","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-gambia","tag-cameroon","tag-gambia"],"yoast_head":"\nCameroon Conflict Looms Over AFCON Stadium With Kick-Off Just 6 Days Away - Gambia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LIMBE, Cameroon - Droves of armored vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon's conflict-torn South West ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/gambia\/all-news\/cameroon-conflict-looms-over-afcon-stadium-with-kick-off-just-6-days-away\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cameroon Conflict Looms Over AFCON Stadium With Kick-Off Just 6 Days Away\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LIMBE, Cameroon - 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