After suffering losses worth millions of FCFA, the business operators describe their situation as a dire one that needs a timely external intervention
Business operators in the Mokolo Market in Yaounde have pleaded for assistance from the government after a fire outbreak ravaged several shops in a section of the commercial hub this week left several traders counting heavy financial and material losses. The traders made the declaration in Yaounde last Monday. This was shortly after a fire incident brought down part of the market on Sunday night breaking Monday January 6, leaving several shops and commodities in ruins.
The cause of the fire remains unclear although sources say investigations are underway to get to the root of the incident. Shortly after the fire incident which adds to the number of fire incidents involving major commercial centers, authorities called for emergency meetings during which they urged traders to take necessary precautions to prevent such incidents in the future. Almost four days after the incident, traders and other business operators who were affected by the fire outbreak, continue counting the losses they have incurred as a result of the devastating incident.
Per most of the traders, the fire incident puts at the risk of losing financial and material resources worth millions ranging from commodities like maize, millet, groundnut and a host of others. “We called fire fighters and they told us that they do not have water in their tanks. We called the other one at Mimboman. They came at 5am when we had already lost a lot. We have lost commodities like maize, millet, groundnut and others. We just stocked our warehouses and have unfortunately lost the items,” one of the business operators told state broadcaster, Crtv.
Another victim interviewed at the scene added that he has lost a sum of over 20 million FCFA. He pleaded for government intervention, insisting that is the only means to safe him from succumbing to the looming danger awaiting him he is unable to recover financially. “I am speechless. I don’t know how to explain it. What I have lost to the fire amounts a sum of more than 20 million FCFA. It was just yesterday that I refiled my store with more than 64 bags of groundnut. Before that, I had earlier stocked the store with 65 bags. All those don’t even include the ones that were stored in the warehouse which belong to my boss,” the trader stated.
“I don’t know what we are going to do. We are pleading on the government to help us because we are in a very dire situation. I in particular, if I am abandoned, I am sure my next destination will be a prison,” he pleaded. The Market master of the section of the market which suffered the incident, Dominique Nogoue, made similar revelations. He said one of his sons at the market suffered a loss worth some 13million FCFA. “Some six big shops have been burned down completely. Some of the groundnut that has just been burnt belongs to one of my sons. He bought the goods in December last year. When I informed him about the incident this morning, he was completely lost. He has lost more than 13 million FCFA,” Nogoue stated.
