Covid-19 pandemic and mobility strategies of Chadian roadside vendors in Kousseri, Cameroon

Abstract

The movement of people between N’Djamena (Chad) and Kousseri (Cameroon) has drastically increased since the construction of the Nguéli Bridge linking the two cities in 1985. This massive movement of people came to a sudden halt in 2020 when the Chadian authorities put measures in place to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. From then on, movement from one bank of the Logone River to the other was conditioned by the presentation of an official document authorising traders to cross the border. The bridge became a locale for border users to develop “winning strategies” to maintain their daily movement between the two cities. This article analyses the strategies that Chadian roadside vendors used to move between the two borders, despite the muzzling of movement across the Nguéli Bridge during the Covid-19 period. The data collected in the field through interviews and direct observation show that Chadian vendors used relational networks to ensure their daily activities in the two towns, some of them opting for a shorter migratory movement and others for a long-term migration to the town of Maroua.