The UN’s International Day of Peace should be a moment of hope, not despair. Sadly, as the
“Anglophone Crisis” in Cameroon enters its eighth year, both the government and separatist militias persist in believing their side will win by military means, rather than through dialogue, negotiations, and compromise.
Last May, a former violent separatist commander, Emmanuel Ndong, alias Capo Daniel, renounced the quest for independence and use of arms. It took bravery to acknowledge that force is not succeeding, and has caused massive harm to civilians. Ndong proposed some level of autonomy for the English-speaking regions within the unitary state of Cameroon.
Unfortunately, the government of Cameroon failed to seize the opportunity offered by Ndong’s gesture. Some Cameroonians believe that the clans jockeying for position around 91-year-old President Paul Biya think they have more to gain through war than by addressing decades of Anglophone marginalization; excessive corruption and lack of transparency and accountability in the war economy may be the driving force behind their intransigence.
Ending violence – and obtaining peace – is not a sentimental or childish goal. There can be no economic prosperity without peace. Academic research shows that civil wars deter growth, and that a population which believes its rulers are legitimate is far less likely to rise up against them. Perhaps, as illustrated in this five-minute video from the Forum of Federations, devolving some control away from a neurotic centralized state can promote peace and stability.
Seven years into this senseless armed conflict, it is imperative, and in the interest of Cameroon’s political elite, to pursue dialogue with moderate Anglophone leaders. A good start would be an acknowledgement of the misstep of 1972 that abolished the federal system which recognized the dignity of both Anglophones and Francophones within the two federated states of Cameroon. With the 1972 flip of the coin, Anglophones went from being putatively equal partners with Francophones as they governed their respective territories, to being subsumed and assimilated by the Francophone central government. This remains among key causes of the ‘Anglophone Problem’ of today.
Despite Biya regime officials’ assertions to diplomats that the so-called Special Status implemented after the Major National Dialogue addresses Anglophone concerns, the reality in the conflict zones is much different: the violence has only increased, and more citizens are getting disaffected by the state’s inability to resume its normal activities in the Anglophone regions. The Cameroon government continues to reject foreign offers to mediate in the crisis, and politicians around Biya remain arrogant and dismissive as long as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank continue to bail out the country irrespective of its poor governance, eye-watering corruption, and well-documented massive human rights abuses.
At the same time, a significant portion of Cameroon is so insecure and ungoverned that administrators find it too unsafe to live there. Corpses are dumped on the road, civilians live in fear of IEDs, kidnapping for ransom is rampant, taxis and motorbikes are torched, students and teachers are punished for attending school, and poorly resourced health facilities are attacked. Both government forces and militias, as well as opportunistic criminals, demand extortionist payments from the population. Many foreign embassies ban their diplomats and visiting citizens from venturing into the two Anglophone regions. The economy struggles to survive, roads are a mess, electricity is intermittent, clean water is scarce, and illiteracy, teen pregnancy, and drug use are increasing.
An enlightened elite, concerned for its own survival, would propose a new constitutional settlement for Cameroon, giving all citizens a stake in a prosperous future. A roadmap toward peace would involve discussions between government and Anglophone leadership, including moderate intellectuals, opposition figures, military representatives, and women, youth, religious and traditional leaders who have lived through conflict. Sadly though, self-interest and ignorance on both sides prevent prospects for peace and a brighter future for the people of Cameroon.
Rebecca Tinsley, author of When the Stars Fall to Earth – a novel of Africa