ພວກຊາວບ້ານທີ່ພາກັນຢູ່ອ້ອມແອ້ມເມືອງເມກັນກາ (Meiganga) ທີ່ຢູ່ທາງພາກເໜືອ
ກາເມຣູນ ກຳລັງພາກັນປະທ້ວງຕ້ານບັນດາບໍລິສັດຂຸດຄົ້ນຄຳ ໂດຍກ່າວຫາວ່າ ມີການ
ທຳຄວາມເສຍຫາຍໃຫ້ແກ່ດິນ. ພວກຊາວບ້ານກ່າວວ່າເຂົາເຈົ້າທຸກຈົນລົງກວ່າເກົ່າ
ກ່ອນຕອນທີ່ຄົນຈີນຍັງບໍ່ໄດ້ເຂົ້າໄປ ນ້ອນໄຮ່ນາ ຮົ້ວສວນ ແລະປ່າດົງຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າບັດ
ນີ້ໄດ້ຖືກທຳລາຍ.
ນີ້ແມ່ນຝູງງົວ ຂອງພວກລ້ຽງງົວ ແລະຊາວສວນຈາກໝູ່ບ້ານທີ່ຢູ່ອ້ອມແອ້ມເມືອງເມກັນ
ກາ ພາກເໜືອກາເມຣຸນ.
ເພງຂອງເຂົາເຈົ້າເວົ້າວ່າ ຖ້າຫາກບໍ່ມີຫຍັງເຮັດ ເພື່ອຮັກສາໃຫ້ເຂົາເຈົ້າຈາກພວກຂຸດ
ບໍ່ແຮ່ຈີນ ຄວາມອືດຢາກອາດກະທົບຕໍ່ທ້ອງຖິ່ນເຂົາເຈົ້າ ທີ່ບໍ່ຢູ່ຫ່າງໄກຈາກອານາຄົດ.
ໂຄສົກເຂົາເຈົ້າ ອາຍຸ 54 ປີ ຄົນລ້ຽງງົວ ທ້າວມາມູດູ ໂປໂຣ.
ລາວກ່າວວ່າພວກຂຸດບໍ່ແຮ່ທຳລາຍຮົ້ວສວນ ແລະບໍ່ໃຄວາມສົນໃຈຖົມຂຸມ ແລະບ່ອນ
ທີ່ເຂົາເຈົ້າຂຸດຢູ່ຕາມຖະໜົນຫົນທາງ ແລະບ່ອນລ້ຽງງົວກ່ອນຈະໜີໄປ. ລາວກ່າວວ່າເຂົາ
ເຈົ້າຕ້ອງການໃຫ້ຈີນສ້າງຖະໜົນຫົນທາງທີ່ເຂົາເຈົ້າໄດ້ທຳລາຍນັ້ນຄືນ ແລະຖົມບ່ອນຂຸດ
ຕ່າງໆ ທີ່ເຂົາເຈົ້າໄດ້ຂຸດ, ເອົາໄຟຟ້າໃຫ້ເຂົາເຈົ້າ ແລະຢ່າງໜ້ອຍສ້າງໂຮງຮຽນ ແລະຕະ
ຫຼາດໃຫ້ເຂົາເຈົ້າກ່ອນຈະໜີໄປ.
ຈົນຮອດປີ 2014 ເມືອງເມກັນກາ ແລະໝູ່ບ້ານອ້ອມແອ້ມ ໄດ້ເກັບກ່ຽວໝາກສາລີ, ໝາກ
ຖົ່ວເຫລືອງ, ຖົ່ວດິນ ແລະລ້ຽງງົວ ເພື່ອປ້ອນຕະຫຼາດໃນກາເມຣູນ, ໄນຈີເຣຍ ແລະສາທາລະນະລັດອາຟຣິກາກາງ.
Villagers around Meiganga, a town in northern Cameroon, are protesting against Chinese gold miners for allegedly ruining the land. The villagers say they are poorer than before the Chinese arrived, with their farms and forests now destroyed. Moki Edwin Kindzeka reports from Meiganga.
These are cattle ranchers and farmers from villages around the northern Cameroon town of Meiganga.
Their song says that if nothing is done to save them from Chinese miners, famine may strike their locality in a not too distant future.
Their spokesperson is 54-year-old cattle rancher Mamoudu Poro.
He says the miners destroy farms and do not even care to cover holes and trenches they dig on roads and cattle ranches before leaving. He says they want the Chinese to build the roads they destroyed and fill the trenches they dug, give them electricity and at least a school and a market before leaving.
Until 2014, Meiganga and surrounding villages cultivated maize, beans, groundnuts and producing cattle for markets in Cameroon, Nigeria and the Central African Republic.
Then, some 300 new mining sites producing gold, zinc, nickel and other materials were discovered in the region. Among the explorers were Chinese companies.
More than a hundred of the companies' miners work in and around Meiganga. They use Caterpillar tractors and equipment that clean stones and sift soil, allowing them to detect gold faster than locals who use manual tools. Locals are paid about $2 per day to work at the Chinese mining sites.
Cameroon's minister of mines, Gabriel Dodo Ndocke, says the complaints of the villagers are legitimate. He says he has asked the companies to respect the terms of their contract with the government.
He says the population suffers as a result of environmental degradation and does not benefit as expected because their mineral resources are exploited in a disorganized manner. He says he has given instructions to all exploitation companies to make sure they respect environmental laws and stop destroying farms and cattle ranches which for now are the only sources of living for the people of the area.
Officials with the China Mining Company in Meiganga declined to be interviewed about the allegations. However, company official Hu Long said the firm has assisted communities by providing aid to hospitals and building or refurbishing schools when solicited. He says the company also employs about 100 youths.
This is not the first time Cameroonian villagers have protested alleged exploitation by the Chinese. In 2016, residents of eastern Cameroon had conflicts with small-scale Chinese gold miners who had been there for six years. The local miners said the Chinese had taken away their livelihoods and were not living up to promises to develop the area.
Cameroon has not officially announced how much it gains from the mining business but says it contributes a significant amount to the country's GDP.
