Vitalis Song Yamsa,
Department Of History & African Civilizations | University of Buea | songvitalis@gmail.com | Tel: (+237) 651 267 007
This paper examines the socio-cultural and economic implications of the 1986 Lake Nyos gas emission in the NorthWest Region of Cameroon as well as the various schools of thought that surrounded this gas emission. Firstly, it examines the various schools of thought proposing explanations for the gas emission before considering how the disaster impacted the people and environment around the lake. The paper argues that the causes of the Lake Nyos gas
emission of August 1986 remain contradictory and that it negatively impacted socio-cultural and economic activities in the affected areas. This paper relied on oral interviews withsome selected victims of the gas emission and other secondary sources like books and articles in peer reviewed journals.
Keywords: Disaster, Displacement, Resettlement, Rehabilitation
