End-Of-Year Period : Heightened Vigilance

As the Christian community the world over prepares to celebrate Christmas commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ the son of God and the entire world population braces up to celebrate the New Year 2026, there has to heightened vigilance. This is because the end-of-year festive period is usually characterized by the good, bad, sad and ugly events. While good, God-fearing and kind hearted people prepare and organize events and activities intended to individual and collective common good and development, agents of the devil indulge in blood-socking, sad and lamentable activities. The period is usually that of hustling and bustling and care needs to be taken to avoid excesses that could lead to doom. Taking cognizance of the uncertain and unpredictable nature of events, Cameroon government officials have been stepping up vigilance measures to curb any unforeseen sad happening. The Governor of the West Region, Awa Fonka Augustine during the second semester administrative and operational meeting he presided at Bangangte, Nde Division on December 3 and 4, 2025 invited the administrative authorities of the region to redouble vigilance during the end-of-year period. He laid emphasis on road safety considering the intense movement of people during the period.
 The West is a road junction region and cases of road accidents have of late increasingly been reported in the major highways. Other Regional Governors like Gregoire Mvongo of the East Region also presided at the region’s security meeting in Batouri, Kadey Division on December 4, 2025. He used  the occasion to  stress on the need for all living forces of the East Region to heighten vigilance  for security to be completed maintained throughout the region. The instructions of the Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji Paul during the recent Regional Governors’ conference in Yaounde in relation to maintaining peace and security during this festive period should be taken seriously and implemented by all actors in the administrative and security chain. Vigilance is needed in Cameroon at this particular period more than ever before considering the post-October 12, 2025 presidential election upheavals during which some political leaders called for and incited youths to engage in violent demonstrations destroying both public and private property and blocking State institutions from functioning properly. Calm now reigns all over the country. 
That should however, not lure defence and security forces, administrative authorities and the entire population to sleep as any slightest spark of tension could light the flames of disorder, destruction and civil disobedience.  The recent case of truck drivers in Meiganga, Adamawa Region during which road traffic was blocked for some days by discontent drivers should not be taken for granted. Government engaged in dialogue and yielded to most of their demands. Some of them however, reportedly got derailed following political manipulation to ask for the release of all persons arrested and detained in connection with the post-presidential election violence. The political manipulation could continue in other forms requiring vigilance and alertness on the part of the authorities to decipher and nip any devilish destabilization plan in the bud. 
Authorities and officials be they administrative, defence and security or political have to use tact, discernment and professionalism to tackle any event in a way that such an event will not give rise to upheavals and destabilization tendencies. Keen political and security observers should certainly be aware of the fragile peace and security situation in the country. The security crisis  continues in the North West and South West Regions where armed non-State separatist fighters still kill both civil...