'Two shot' in Cameroon taxi riot
Police have shot dead at least two motorcycle taxi-drivers at a protest against police abuses in north-west Cameroon, local residents say.

Drivers had invaded the centre of the town of Bamenda to protest at the alleged severe beating of a colleague detained at a police checkpoint.

When police tried to clear away the demonstrators' barricades, stones were thrown and police replied with gunfire.

Thousands joined the protest to demand an end to extortion, witnesses say.

A pregnant woman was also wounded in the shooting and some reports say three taxi-drivers were killed.

A 'popular upheaval'

The protests began on Tuesday morning after the detention of a driver on Monday at a checkpoint where he was reportedly stopped for not having the right papers.

It seems the people want the police to pay for the killings
an aide to the governor of North-West Province, speaking on condition of anonymity

"He was thoroughly beaten until he lost consciousness and one of his eyes," one Bamenda resident, who asked not to be named, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

"His colleagues went to the police station to seek his release but the police used tear gas to chase them away.

"They then invaded the town, mounting roadblocks and blocking the traffic. When the security forces came out to lift the roadblocks, they threw stones at them and the police fired at them in retaliation."

An aide to the governor of North-West Province, who asked not to be named, confirmed there had been a "popular upheaval downtown" but could not confirm the deaths.

"The situation is very tense here now," the aide added, requesting anonymity.

"It seems the people want the police to pay for the killings."

A local journalist told AFP news agency that passions among drivers were high because police harassment of taxi-drivers had been growing in recent days.

The drivers are known locally as benskinners because passengers have to "bend their skin" to climb on to the motorcycles.

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Comments:

Is this history repeating itself? Remember the 1984 burning of the GMI police station in Bamenda by youth due to unnecessary police brutality? How often will we go though the same thing over and over? I'm not saying that police shouldn't do their job if someone were operating illegally, but hey what's this about beating and torturing and killing of tax payers? Dear policeman where do you think your training, uniform, gun and salary come from? Sadly nothing is going to be done by the lethargic authorities...
Nji Ateghang, Edison, USA

This situation is particularly disturbing. I do not understand why there is so much lawlessness in Cameroon... There is no such thing as freedom of speech or human rights in Cameroon. I am not sure why policemen who should protect the citizenery would resolve to beating and ruthlessly killing innocent unarmed civilians. Bribery and curruption has eaten extensively deep into the core of Cameroonian society. Police officers are particularly notorious for taking bribes and would care less if a motorist has the right documents. Sometimes those hard core criminal officers will tell you that they do not eat papers, they need money. It is that simple. In a situation where a taxi driver or motocycle taxi rider (Bendskin) refuses to give money because he has the right documents, upset police officers merely detain the individual without cause and this person might just well rot in jail. It is hard to deal with curruption in Cameroon given the present government in place. In my opinion, a good constitution, I mean a revised constitution void of all pro CPDM clauses would realy set the tone for a new Cameroon where there will be accountability in every corner of the civil service. Cameroon is realy in ruins like a car running on its reserve tank and just waiting for a total breakdown. I have faced similar situations, though not as a driver but as a passenger being delayed and almost locked up because I dared to speak out against the bad practice.
Lucas Chibong, Bamenda Cameroon

I find this appauling. Something should be done about this. What gives an officer the right to shoot at unarmed civilians? The fact is that most of these bendskiners have no papers and the police use them as some form of income, becaue they claim they are not well paid. point taken, but does this make the innocent civlian at fault for not having papers? and if for any reason this bendskinner went out of line, gives them no right to lay their hands on him/them. Or where they acting on orders from the Boss?... And if this is not the case, Shoudl the Governor get involved to stop this violence and eventual upheavals. WE have to bare in mind, that a good number of these people are poor and live on close to nothing. They are wounded and incidents like this do not make it any better. The guilty parties should be dealt with accordingly. Its such a shame this country has specifically decided to move backwards. What has happened to human rights? or at least respect for one another, respect for human life and dignity?
ndip arrey, Aberdeen, Scotland