Residents danced and sang on the El Beid Bridge on Thursday, September 9, as delegates from Cameroon and Nigeria agreed to reopen the border between the two countries.

The border was forced to close almost two years ago because it was thought the constant flow of people and goods could spread COVID-19-related illnesses.

But last Thursday Nigerian authorities and the Cameroonian side, led by Jean Lazare Ndongo Ndongo, prefect of the Logone and Chari department, decided to reopen this important border.

The meeting took place on the shores of El Beid.

Since the closure, the border, towns of Gamboru Ngala in Nigeria and Fotokol in Cameroon had been in the grip of a security crisis, with frequent attacks by extrements.

Now the people of both countries hope the attacks will stop.

All they wanted, they said, was lasting peace and for trade between the two countries to resume.

“The reopening of the border between Fotokol and Gamboru Ngala is significant on the political, economic and socio-cultural levels. On the political level, this reflects the clear will of the administration, both Cameroonian and Nigerian, to show their supremacy and send a strong message of victory against the insurgents. Economically, this is good news for our local economy, which depends entirely on trade,” said Alhadji Mahamat, president of the Fotokol youth association.

Fotokol is reputed to be a transit town which sees a large quantity of goods pass daily through Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad, as well as Sudan. When the border closed, everything was brought to a halt.

“The reopening of the Gamboru-Fotokol border is sure to boost the local economy. It should also be noted that the state suffered severely economically from the closure given the importance of this border. The same community live in both Fotokol and Gamboru Ngala, so reopening the border and allowing people and traffic to pass on the bridge is a great relief for all the people in the area,” said Mahamat Koutchina, an economic adviser.

Mansour Adama Djibrine, an actor in civil society, said the people of both countries were delighted that the border had been reopened.

“We thank the authorities of the two countries for this salutary action,” he said. “We are using this opportunity ask authorities to build a road from Fotokol to Kousséri in the far north of Cameroon. The area is landlocked and a road would boost the economy, as well as raise the standard of living for this community. The road would be a stretch of about 102km. We hope the authorities will at least consider this. It would be good for the economy,” he said.