Traders near their broken shops
The Yaounde City Council demolished several makeshift business structures in the Melen neighborhood today in an effort to clear roads that will be used by Pope Leo XIV during his upcoming visit.However, some business owners complained that they received no prior warning, voicing frustration over what they described as a rushed, last-minute measure by the city authorities.Workers and municipal police arrived early in the morning, tearing down wooden stalls and kiosks along key routes expected to form part of the papal motorcade. Traders returning to their businesses were met with rubble where their livelihoods once stood.”Nobody told us anything. We came this morning and found our shops gone,” one woman who sold groceries from a wooden kiosk told reporters. “How are we supposed to feed our families?”Others echoed similar grievances, saying they had invested their savings into their small businesses and were given no time to salvage their goods or belongings before the demolitions began.City officials, however, defended the action as necessary to ensure the smooth and secure passage of the pontiff and accompanying dignitaries. For the displaced traders of Melen, the excitement surrounding the historic visit has been overshadowed by the sudden loss of their stalls and lingering questions about whether the city could have handled the clearance with more notice and compassion.