Inhabitants of the capital city, Yaounde, are yet to come to terms with the calmness of the night of December 31, 2015. Usually, during New Year’s Eve, emergency wards in hospitals are overcrowded by cases of accidents, assault and food poisoning, among others. The story was however different this time. The emergency wards of the different hospitals visited were virtually empty.  

At 2:00 a.m. on January 1, 2015, hospital officials affirmed that the night was calm in spite of the heavy festivities. At the National Social Insurance Hospital, Essos, Yaounde, no case was found in the emergency ward. The doctor on duty, Jeffrey Nzang, told Cameroon Tribune that the night was calm, but for one accident case whereby a young guy was knocked down by a motorcycle. The case, he said, was referred to the Yaounde Central Hospital.

In the Emergency Ward of the Yaounde Central Hospital Block B, two accidents were recorded. One occurred at Boumnyebel, about 120 km from Yaounde on the Yaounde-Douala-Yaounde highway, with a woman and her baby wounded. They were admitted for treatment. The second accident was at the Warda Junction in Yaounde, involving a private car. A lady is reported to have sustained mild injuries. She was administered treatment and returned home shortly after. 

At the Yaounde Emergency Centre, the story was similar. The Director, Dr. Louis Bitang à Mafok, said only one accident case was received. The accident occurred at Mbankomo about 25 km from Yaounde on the Yaounde-Douala highway. Ten people were wounded, with four being serious.