Saturday February 25th had a scare in Buéa, an English-speaking city of South-West Cameroon, when 600 athletes from 13 countries gathered to take part in the 28th edition of the Race of Hope, the ascent of Mount Cameroon.
The race had just started when three explosions were heard near the Molyko Stadium, the starting and finishing point of the race. According to police sources, the detonations were caused by improvised explosive devices, hidden at different points of the athletes’ route.
The explosions left 18 injured, including an athlete and 17 spectators. The race was nevertheless able to continue and finish without further incident, but in a city of Buea won by psychosis, a large security reinforcement was deployed, including military helicopters that flew over the city all day.
The events serve as a reminder of the crisis in the region, which has been plagued by an armed conflict between English-speaking separatist fighters and the regular army since 2017. The Race of Hope, which was meant to be a sporting and cultural event, almost turned tragic.
