The 7th edition of annual commemorative activities in honour of victims of the February 2008 nationwide hunger riot passed silently.

The organizers of the event said that, this was because they did not want a mix-up with the big march that was billed for the same day, 28th February in Yaounde to show solidarity with the soldiers engaged in the war against Boko Haram.

In a rare show of patriotism, solidarity and unity against Boko Haram, the organizers of this commemorative events in honour of the victims of the hunger riots of February 2008, decided to take the activities of the seventh edition of their annual event away from the streets of Douala and far from the public eye.

Jean Michel Nitcheu, SDF parliamentarian for Wouri East who doubles as initiator of the “Semaine des Martyrs”, explained that, this was because they did not want to mitigate the success that was envisaged for the grand solidarity march against Boko Haram in Yaounde on 28th of February 2015.

“We deliberately chose not to organize any public manifestations like marches and conferences this year to commemorate the martyrs of 28th February 2008.

This is because we did not want any contradiction, especially given that on this same day, another popular manifestation was organized in Yaounde to show solidarity and give moral support to soldiers engaged in the war on Boko Haram in the Far North region.

We wanted to avoid confusion with this other event, even though it was organized in honour of the same soldiers who shot at our martyrs of February 2008.

We know that the soldiers used their guns on innocent citizens because they were given orders to do so. But we respect all martyrs.The soldiers who fell and are falling on the battlefront in the Far North are martyrs too; they are fighting and dying in defence of our country that is at war with the rascals of Boko Haram,” he said.

It should be recalled that on the second day of the horrible riots that gripped the entire nation on 27th and 28th February 2008, President Paul Biya was forced to come out of his false silence to deliver his famous “apprentis sorciers” speech.

The hard tone of the unusually short presidential address was an indication of the president’s anger and disappointment with those suspected of being the brains behind the historic riots.

Many Cameroonians said they had never seen the President in that mood before. And the message produced the expected effect; it instantly brought an end to what many speculated was the beginning of the end of President Biya’s long reign.

Jean Michel Nitcheu told the press in Douala that the seventh edition of “The Week of Martyrs” (La Semaine des Martyrs) that honours the victims of the 2008 riots was calm this year; it was marked only by visits to the families of some of the victims.

“During this seventh edition, we decided to visit the families of those who lost their lives during the riot. We used the occasion to support and comfort them,” Nitcheu said, recalling that the “young compatriots who died from the gunshots of soldiers of the New Deal in 2008.”

He explained that he initiated, “The Week of Martyrs” and organized the first edition in February 2009 because he did not want the memories of the martyrs of the hunger riots to be forgotten so soon. He expressed satisfaction that today the “Semaine des Martyrs” has become a popular annual event.

“When we thought about organizing the “Semaine des Martyrs” our objective was also to make sure that the sorrowful events of 2008 were not quickly lost in the memories of Cameroonians. Today you can see for yourself that Cameroonians are still recalling those sad events; people keep calling me to ask about the next edition of the commemoration,” said Hon. Nitcheu, who used the occasion to thank Cameroonians for the support they have continued to give to the organisers of the “Semaine des Martyrs.

He however said that today the “Semaine des Martyrs” is organized by the “Martyrs Foundation” (Fondation des martyrs) that he co-founded with some other concerned Cameroonians.

The MP said that, the idea of a commemoration of the martyrs of 2008 enjoys the support of his party, the SDF, and that other political parties notably Manidem and Kah Wallah’s CPP are also on his side.

However, Nitcheu regretted that successive editions of the commemorative activities have not witnessed the popular support and fanfare that the organizers envisage simply because Cameroonians have been made to live in fear.

“The forces of repression are always there to beat the hell out of those who show up to participate in our manifestations.”

But Nitcheu says no amount of intimidation can ever cause him and the members of the Martyrs Foundation to stop commemorating the 2008 martyrs.