Upin arrival in the East region of Cameroon, the Minister of Territorial Administration – MINAT, Atanga Nji Paul, concluded a high-profile working visit to Bertoua and surrounding localities. Chaired by the Minister, a comprehensive security meeting on June 1, 2026, thoroughly scrutinized the political, economic, and security situation of the region.
While commending the Governor, Senior Divisional Officers – SDOs, and Divisional Officers – DOs for successfully maintaining peace and stability, the Minister pointed out a lack of clarity in recent regional reports. Consequently, he ordered the Governor to uncover the absolute reality of the territory—particularly regarding local mining practices—so that an accurate picture can be presented to the Head of State.
On the political front, Minister Atanga Nji issued a stern warning to fugitive politicians who orchestrated destruction and wreaked havoc following the country’s last presidential polls. He emphasized that these individuals will eventually be held accountable for their crimes, regardless of how long they remain in hiding.
Furthermore, the MINAT boss strongly urged political leaders and local elites to consolidate national values and the spirit of “living together.” He tasked them with holding educational seminars to instill civic responsibility in their militants while explicitly shunning hate speech, tribalism, and vandalism.
Shifting to economic and environmental threats, the Minister convened an urgent meeting with mining operators to address the alarming rate of clandestine exploitation in the East Region. Unauthorized mining has severely altered the local landscape, leaving deep trenches that are now filled with runoff rainwater.
These open pits pose immediate risks of landslides, slips, injury, and tragic deaths among local civilians. To combat this, the Minister called on all mining companies to strictly respect legal prescriptions, protect human lives, and preserve the environment by restoring order and sanity to their daily operations.
A particularly distressing revelation during the working visit was the high number of young children abandoning their education for illegal gold panning. Minister Atanga Nji expressed profound alarm over the fact that children as young as 13 years old are actively involved in these hazardous mining activities.
He strongly condemned political parties and operators who exploit or utilize children for vandalism and illegal labor. He passionately appealed to parents and community leaders to return these children to school, reinforcing that the future of the youth must not be sacrificed for unsafe, short-term economic gains.
To permanently reform the sector, the MINAT boss sensitized operators on an ongoing, comprehensive mining inquiry recently launched by the Head of State. He urged all artisanal and industrial miners to conquer their fears and fully collaborate with the investigation team, noting that transparency is vital to help the Head of State properly appraise and restructure the sector.
Key regional stakeholders, including the Lom and Djerem Division’s Delegate of Mines, Afti Jacques, the Delegate of Environment, Mr. Paloma, and trade union leader Ousmanou Alhaji Hamadou, openly shared major systemic hurdles, such as complex authorization bottlenecks that cause the state to lose revenue. Minister Atanga Nji promised to channel these challenges directly to the presidency to help facilitate smoother licensing processes.
The field visit culminated on June 2, 2026, with an on-the-spot inspection of the “Gabon” mining site located in Gonute village, within the Mandjou Subdivision of the Lom and Djerem Division. Walking through the hazardous trenches for nearly an hour, the Minister personally assessed the precarious safety conditions and reiterated the core principles of civil defence to the miners. Before departing, Minister Atanga Nji strictly instructed the Governor of the East Region, the SDO for Lom and Djerem, and the DO for Mandjou to work in lockstep with the presidential inquiry team to ensure a completely transparent, objective investigation that establishes the full facts of the locality’s mining operations.
