A educational talk last Monday between the populations of the Lognanga and Ndockbiakat cantons and their traditional chiefs on the new status of the site.
The chiefs of the Ndockbiakat and Lognanga cantons, their majesties Gaston Dipita and Jean Paul Singha, as well as the living forces of Nkam, invited the populations living near the Ebo forest massif on Monday. In order to explain to them the importance of Decree No. 2023/01630/PM of the Prime Minister of April 27, which classified an area of 68,385 ha of the private domain of the State as a forest management unit (UFA 07 006 ). The same text also consecrates the return of the Banen populations on their ancestral lands. It was a question, for the guarantors of the tradition, of informing and sensitizing the local populations on the stakes around this forest, but especially of mobilizing them to organize their return to the sources, 60 years later.
“This decree is a title that allows us to reconquer our villages. He asks that our villages be identified and that the concessionaire that the State has sent to us facilitates the return of the populations to our villages,” said SM Singha. Before continuing: “This decree is not only a title of occupation, but it also recognizes the history of our villages and allows each of us to return in complete peace of mind”. Finally, the traditional chief thanked the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic for this decree of April 27, which marks the end of their wandering.
During the exchanges, SM Singha therefore explained the decree of the PM, in particular article 4 which takes into account the interests of all the stakeholders. Including NGOs that raise issues of biodiversity protection, among others. For the head of the Lognanga canton, the prime minister’s decree is above all a glimmer of hope for the populations living near the Ebo forest, who finally see it as an opportunity to return to their land.
Same story for SM Gaston Dipita, head of the Ndockbiakat canton, who welcomed this decision of the PM. The traditional chief added that it is undoubtedly the end of the suffering for him, who hopes that his children will finally know their origins.
The classified FMU will have a development plan, an environmental impact study accompanied by consensual specifications, as provided for by the forestry law. Many actions will also be carried out for this purpose: updating the cartography of villages to be repopulated, reconstructing villages, updating the road network, identifying sacred places and all the needs of each village, etc
