Truckers' strike paralyzes Cameroon’s main trade route

A truckers' strike in Cameroon has brought major disruptions to one of the country's primary commercial routes, National Highway 1.

The crisis is centered in the Adamaoua region, near the gateway to Meiganga, where hundreds of trucks destined for northern Cameroon, Chad, and the Central African Republic have been stranded for five days.

Truck drivers staged the protest in response to what they describe as ongoing harassment along the route. The immediate trigger for the large-scale walkout was an incident involving a slap.

According to reports, a gendarme slapped a truck driver on the outskirts of Meiganga, sparking the protest.

This altercation reignited long-standing anger among transporters over unfulfilled promises by authorities following a previous strike after the post-presidential election violence in October 2025.

The Cameroonian government, via the Ministry of Transport, had pledged to ease pressure on drivers, including suspending a number of checkpoints viewed as excessive and corrupt by industry stakeholders.

In response, truckers organized a five-day blockade along National Highway 1, with witnesses reporting that hundreds of vehicles lined the road for nearly 10 kilometers.

Negotiations led by local authorities failed to resolve the standoff, prompting a forceful military intervention that cleared the road overnight from Saturday, December 6, to Sunday, December 7, causing some damage.

Traffic has gradually resumed along the highway, though witnesses report that some trucks are still parked and tensions remain high.