Cameroon’s leader Paul Biya, in an infrequent outing on Tuesday, September 10, announced talks to put to rest the crisis rocking the country’s English-speaking northwest and southwest regions – an impasse elapsing for the fourth year.

The conflict broke out in late 2016 when English-speaking Cameroonians began to protest the ongoing marginalization from the Francophone majority, who say the French-speaking majority government has consistently oppressed their language, culture and economies.

The protest movement, led mostly by teachers and lawyers, evolved into a militant separatist movement calling for the secession of English-speaking Cameroon. The government clamped down on Anglophone separatists and the conflict led to close to 2,000 people killed and over 500,000 displaced, according to the United Nations.

President Biya, who has been in power for 37 years, said the discussion would pull together people from a vast array of the country and will be chaired by Anglophone Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.

“The dialogue in question will mainly concern the situation in the northwest and southwest regions. The dialogue will, therefore, rally all the sons and daughters of our beloved and beautiful country, Cameroon, to reflect on values that are dear to us, namely: peace, security, national unity and progress,” President Biya said on public television CRTV.

Gina Sondo @GinaSondo

In view of the National Dialogue, #Cameroon’s PM Dion Ngute will meet the following…

However, there are concerns the dialogue may be limited and remote-controlled by the country’s leadership.

Agbor Nkongho, a human rights lawyer, who was part of the initial protests, wrote on Twitter on September 11, reacting to the President’s speech:

Agbor Nkongho@AgborNkonghoF

The call for an inclusive dialogue is very appreciated. I urge those who will be attending to call for the release of all those detained in connection with the crisis, the need for constitutional amendment and also to ensure that the form of the state is equally discussed.

The Anglophone crisis in context 

After World War I, Britain and France shared control over Cameroon. France ruled French Cameroon and Britain administered a territory then-called British Southern Cameroons.

French Cameroon gained independence in 1961 as La Republique du Cameroun while British Southern Cameroons voted to join La Republique du Cameroun to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, made up of two states: West Cameroon (English-speaking) and East Cameroon (French-speaking).

However, the first president of Cameroon, Ahmadou Ahidjo, who held power from 1960-1982, abolished the federal system in 1972. Today, there are 10 regions in the United Republic of Cameroon, made of 8 French regions and 2 English regions.

Anglophone Cameroonians have long lamented suppression from Francophone Cameroonians, who have dominated the country’s leadership since inception.

In 1991, efforts made to incise the abscess of the Anglophone problem with a similar call for dialogue fell flat. The All Anglophone Conference in 1993 and 1994 also made no impact:

Dibussi Tande@dibussi

When Anglophone members of the Committee on Constitutional Reform, set up by @PR_Paul_BIYA in 1993, proposed an alternative Federal Constitution, the President instead convened a “Grand Debat National” to water down & sidestep Anglo demands #AnglophoneCrisis #AmbazoniaConflict

Nonetheless, President Biya recently announced a national dialogue to take place at the end of September, and several groups have already submitted proposals on how to resolve the crisis.

In one of them, the opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, led by vice-president Joshua Osih called for a neutral personality to chair the talks. Several Anglophone separatists are calling for the release of their leaders from prison after receiving life sentences.

Doubt, hope, fear ahead of talks

Netizens took to Twitter to express hope as well as doubt about the impact of the national dialogue plan. Solomon Amabo called for the need for a third-party presence to ensure transparency and inclusivity:

Solomon Amabo@solomon_amabo

Dialogue:’Who will I dialogue with?asked Mr Biya?He turns around and calls for National Dialogue,to dialogue with who then?Dialogue with ready-made resolutions-One and indivisible Cameroon?Only negotiations with 3rd party presence(UN,USA,etc)can be binding.We are not in 1961!

Peter Tah also worries about inclusivity and wonders how peace is possible without a clear ceasefire:

Peter Tah@TFomonyuy · 20hReplying to @TFomonyuy

It’s increasing clear that the national dialogue will focus on issues like bilingualism, social cohesion, cultural diversity, return of refugees, reintegration of ex-combatants & rebuilding of affected areas in the Northwest & Southwest regions of #Cameroon. #AnglophoneCrisis

Peter Tah@TFomonyuy

Looking at how predialogue talks are unfolding, it’s evident that this will be far from being inclusive. The regime seems to be picking & choosing those who would attend. Plus if this is dialogue on a crisis involving two parties, how come one party gets to draw up the agenda?

However, Biya clarified on Monday, September 16, that the national dialogues will focus on “bilingualism, cultural diversity and social cohesion, the reconstruction and development of conflict-affected areas, the return of refugees and displaced persons, the education and judicial system, but also decentralization and local development,” according to Cameroon Online.

The United Nations says it has taken in the resolve by Cameroon’s leader Paul Biya to settle the armed conflict in the country’s English-speaking regions.

The UN urged inclusive talks to end the conflict that has persisted for nearly four years:

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement made today by President Paul Biya on the launch of a national dialogue process in Cameroon. He encourages the government of Cameroon to ensure that the process is inclusive and addresses the challenges facing the country. He calls on all Cameroonian stakeholders, including the Diaspora, to participate in this effort.

Still, the September talks are announced amidst ongoing violence and a new surge of refugees fleeing insecure situations — including lockdowns and school closures for the last three years — in the northwest and southwest regions.

Culled from The Global Voice

AK-47 was designed by the late Russian inventor Mikhael Kalashnikov and put into mass production in 1947. It has since undergone little changes. Thousands of these AK47s are in the hands of the French Cameroun army and very few currently with Ambazonia Restoration Forces.

The few AK-47 rifles presently being brandished by the Southern Cameroons self-defense groups were never provided by the Ambazonia Interim Government under the disgraced Dr Ikome Sako. The former Acting President fed Southern Cameroonians with stories about a renowned broker who had agreed to supply the rifles to Southern Cameroons Restoration Forces. Till this day, nothing has arrived Ground Zero.

All what Sako Ikome and his gang claimed to have done with Ambazonia money ranged from plain fiction to the most absurd. The few AK47s that the Ambazonia Self-Defense Forces seized from the Cameroun government army soldiers were test-fired in ambushes and encounters with the Biya regime troops.

Correspondingly, we see AK47s being used against Southern Cameroons women and children by troops loyal to the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé and Southern Cameroonians in the diaspora are maintaining a kind of deliberate silence on the issue!

The AK47 is an iconic weapon of liberation armies and self defense forces throughout the world-Southern Cameroons being no exception. It is even important for the Ambazonia leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe to order the inclusion into the Ambazonia flag an AK-47 in its emblem throughout this period of the struggle.

We of this publication are appealing to all Ambazonians in the diaspora to help Vice President Dabney Yerima to procure AK-47s from gunrunners in South Africa, Zimbabwe and neighbouring Nigeria. The Southern Cameroons diaspora should be mindful of the fact that even militias run by Minister Paul Atanga Nji and Mayor Patrick Ekema now carry the AK47 rifles and Chinese mining companies are donating more AK47s to the Biya regime.

The AK-47 is a favorite assault rifle because of its durability even under extreme conditions. Its accuracy is rated as good enough. Most armies have found the AK-47 easy to operate. No wonder it is also the world’s most smuggled assault rifle and is a favourite among criminal regimes like the one in Yaoundé.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

What motivates Mr Paul Biya to call for a National Dialogue on the horrendous Anglophone situation should provoke continental and global debate in charting a sustainable way forward towards building a best alternative mechanisms and a workable agreement to resolving this modern carnage in the 21st century after never again in Rwanda. 

In 2016, a strike action by the Anglophone lawyers and teachers rapidly metamorphosed to a serious crisis and by October 2017, led to an unusual unrest which has not been quelled up until today and seems to threaten the peace and security of that twin nation like nothing has ever threatened it.

The principle of self-determination is prominently embodied in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations.

Earlier, it was explicitly embraced by US President Woodrow Wilson, by Lenin and others, and became the guiding principle for the reconstruction of Europe following World War1.

The principle was incorporated into the 1941 Atlantic Charter and the Dumbarton Oaks proposals which evolved into the United Nations Charter. Its inclusion in the UN Charter marks the universal recognition of the principle as fundamental to the maintenance of friendly relations and peace among states.

It is recognised as a right of all peoples in the first article common to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which both entered into force in 1976.

The above positions are not alien to what our compatriots and founding fathers of Africa fought and died for.

Culled from Myjoyonline.com

Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on Monday solicited the “support and solidarity” of the country’s National Assembly over a national dialogue to end the conflict in the two restive English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

“The National Assembly is a major institution and I came here first of all to find out the vision of National Assembly, as an institution, as per the national dialogue and to be able to get their views and preparations,” Ngute said after meeting with the House Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril.

He said, he needed the advice of the House speaker as Cameroon lays the ground work for the national dialogue which is expected to be held by the end of September.

“The president of the National Assembly as a person is a very experienced leader, a man who has managed a number of debates and problems of this nature. And that is why I came to seek his advice on how to go about this and he has given me quite a very useful advice,” Ngute added.

On Tuesday last week, Cameroon President Paul Biya, in a rare address to the nation, said the national dialogue will focus on “ways and means of meeting the high aspirations of the people of the Northwest and Southwest regions”.

Crisis has rocked the two Anglophone regions for over two years after armed separatists declared the “independence” of the regions that constitute a minority in the largely French-speaking Cameroon.

About 530,000 people have been displaced internally by the conflict, according to the United Nations.
Source: Xinhuanet

Can President Paul Biya restore peace to Cameroon before quitting the stage or is he on an elusive peace mission.

These are some of the questions analysts are asking as the embattled president plans to inaugurate a body to organise a national dialogue to resolve the crisis facing the country. The body address all the grievances and government policies that led to the crisis.

Biya had on Tuesday announced plans to commence talks to resolve the crisis. The president said a body will be set up to organise a national dialogue and it would commence work at the end of this month.

With no few than 1,800 killed and 500,000 displaced within a period of two years, any talk on restoring peace in Cameroon must be pursued with vigour, sincerity and commitment by all parties concerned. The political leaders on both sides of the divide must demonstrate the political will to surmount the challenge and save the country from the violence threatening its unity. Blood has been flowing across the land since some of the separatist seeking the creation of Ambazonia nation in the English-speaking region resorted to ‘guerrilla’ warfare to tackle to the government’s security agents high handedness including alleged extra-judicial killings in the bid to  quell protests across the region.

Analysts blame the government for what they describe as poor handling of situation. They believe the impatience of the government and the brute force its security agents deployed was the last straw that break the camel’s back and the consequent anarchy tearing across the country.

Undoubtedly, the tough stance of the government against the protest leaders hardened their supporters just as it made them to win the overwhelming support of the people of the region.

Of course, it is not surprising that the president has come out publicly to announce he was ready to search for peace. The government may have realised that its ‘carrot and stick’ tactics has failed and dialogue was the best option to resolving a national crisis.

Even then, how sincere is the president. Would his decision to convoke a national dialogue mark the beginning of a new era in the history of a country he has ruled for almost 37 years amid political crisis? When constituted, would the peace committee be able to stop the country from collapse? And would the peace plan succeed. Again, these are some of the questions analysts are seeking answers to.

Biya’s U-turn should be seen as a demonstration of statesmanship. At 86 and as president, he is the undisputed father of the nation. He needs the support of all to successfully play the role of a father at all times. But he must earn that support of the citizens by living above board in the discharge of his responsibilities. Biya can restore peace to Cameroon if only he chose to listen to good advice.

Though the president may be sincere and committed to ending the crisis, the willingness of all aggrieves parties to embrace the peace dialogue is also crucial. Therefore, the government has a task to assure all aggrieved parties, particularly the Anglophone separatists, of its good intentions.

Already, the integrity of the president is at stake. Therefore, the dialogue must be guided by the principles of negotiation and win-win.  Though Biya’s U-turn is a welcome development, it may not have inspired the separatists to believing that they are safe to come to a round-table with government officials.

They fear that ‘overzealous’ actors within the Presidency, who are benefiting from the crisis may want to impose unacceptable condition on them. This thinking is informed by the history of the crisis. They argue that the protests that eventually turned bloody were fuelled by wrong government policies and the imposition of the French language on the region, among others.

The president aptly said his focus is: peace, security, national unity and peace. He has also said the dialogue “will rally sons and daughters of Cameroon to reflect the values of our country” and “bring together a wide range of people to seek ways to end violence.” Traditional rulers, the clergy and elected official will be members of the dialogue committee.

Now is the opportunity for Biya not only to prove his critics wrong but also to leave behind a legacy for which his name would be written in gold. The octogenarian president must see this as a challenge he must defeat.

Biya must go beyond rhetoric and create an enabling environment that would allow all the stakeholders to embrace dialogue. Since the crisis started, the government has repeatedly asked the separatists “to surrender and be forgiven or face military action.”The president and the leaders of the separatists must be told in unequivocal terms that negotiating peace does not require threats or songs of war. Restoring peace to the country is in the interest of all, including generations yet unborn. They must bear in mind, always, that Cameroon is a strategic country in Africa that should not be allowed to collapse.

The government cannot pretend not to know the grievances of the region. The government had always denied the allegation of marginalisation of the region.  In the statement announcing the planned dialogue, the president dismissed the allegation by saying people of the region are being appointed ministers.

But the issue of marginalisation goes beyond political appointments. It must be noted that the crisis has both remote and immediate causes. The grievances of yesteryears that were not addressed properly cannot be forgotten. This is the time for frank talks and the opportunity provided by the president’s U-turn must not be jettisoned.

In his statement on Tuesday, the president tried to find excuse for the inability of the government to hold talks with the separatists. He said “it is difficult to know who to talk to as those claiming to be leaders are only visible on social media, where they preach violence.”

But reactions from the region have faulted the statement. They say the president was being economical with the truth because some of their leaders were arrested and jailed for life. Indeed, they are not amused by the president’s peace gesture.

That is because at the beginning of the crisis in late 2017, Biya refused to listen to their grievances, believing that the security forces were up to the task of silencing them. The government resort to the use of full force turned out to be a grievous miscalculation.

But what are the fears of the separatists? Several people from the region who commented on the president’s call for dialogue say the president must do the ‘right’ thing. Asked what the ‘right’ thing is, they say the dialogue must be moderated by neutral persons in a neutral ground outside Cameroon. It must not be dominated by members of the president’s party or government officials.

Interestingly, the president’s nominee to preside over the dialogue is unacceptable to the separatists. Biya had said Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute will preside over the dialogue. It is instructive to note that Ngute is from the Anglophone region. But the separatists say he is Biya’s stooge. They have argued that he became prime minister by appointment and not through democratic election. “He who pays the piper dictates the tune,” said a separatist who is vehemently opposed to the role the president has assigned the prime minister.

Those opposed to Biya also say the president has been using “divide and rule” tactics to destabilize the region to the advantage of the Francophone region. They are opposed to the participation of people they believe are ‘traitors.’Ngute is in this group. But will Biya accept such hard posture against the nomination of Ngute as the presiding officer? This may be a hard question for both parties.

However, this can be resolved through negotiation. Analysts are not in doubt that Ngute will be willing to make sacrifice and allow the dialogue to hold without him. As prime minister, he cannot be happy that his home region is in turmoil and lives and property are being destroyed daily.

Another issue raised by the separatists is the method of nominating participants. They want the president to announce publicly the core issues to be discussed and how the delegates will be nominated including the people they will be representing. They want to know what qualifies a person to be nominated as a delegate.

Two other conditions the separatists consider crucial to their acceptance to participate in the dialogue are the assurance of the safety of their delegates and the release of their 10 leaders jailed for life by a military tribunal. Those who commented on the life sentence handed their leaders and followers reminded Biya that the matter is still in court following an appeal.

They wonder how the president will be talking about peace dialogue when their leaders are serving life sentence and the case is still pending in court. Asked what should be done, the answer was: “the president knows what to do.”

Whatever be the fears of the separatists on the one hand and the government on the other hand, what is crucial now is how to unite the country and promote development and growth. Armed separatists must lay down their arms, government security agents must stop the killings and the Presidency must come out clean and provide an enabling environment for the dialogue to hold successfully.

Cameroon needs the support and assistance of the Economic Community of West Africa States, the African Union, the European Union, France, the United States, the United Nations and the goodwill of peace lovers to restore an enduring peace, security and stability. The international community must not fold its arms and watch. It must be actively involved in the dialogue for it to succeed.

Culled from Sunnewsonline.com

The African Union (AU) Commission has welcomed the latest call by Cameroon’s President Paul Biya to hold a national dialogue to resolve a crisis buffeting the country’s two Anglophone regions.

AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat “welcomes the commitment of the President of the Republic of Cameroon, Paul Biya, to organize a national dialogue for a way out of the crisis in the two English-speaking regions of the country,” said an AU statement issued late Thursday.

Faki also encouraged and called on “all Cameroonian actors, including the diaspora and armed groups, to take part in this national dialogue and seize this opportunity to discuss the root causes of this crisis,” the statement said.

He reiterated the AU Commission’s willingness to support the west African nation’s endeavor as it seeks a consensual and sustainable solution to preserve its unity and territorial integrity.

In a rare address to the nation on Tuesday evening, Biya said planned dialogue will be held by the end of September, and will focus on “ways and means of meeting the high aspirations of the people of the Northwest and Southwest regions.”

Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute would chair the dialogue, which would bring together government officials and representatives of armed separatist groups.

Government forces and armed separatists have been clashing in the Northwest and Southwest regions since 2017, after separatists declared “independence” of the two English-speaking regions from the largely French-speaking Cameroon.

Source: Xinhuanet

Consultations have begun in Cameroon ahead of a national dialogue ordered by president Paul Biya. Civil society groups and opposition political parties are calling for the unconditional release of Anglophone separatist leaders and other political prisoners before discussions begin.

Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute began consultations with political party leaders, civil society activists, opinion leaders, traditional rulers, lawmakers and clergy on September 11, one day after President Paul Biya called for a national dialogue to solve the separatist crisis rocking his country.

Prince Ekosso, president of the United Socialist Democratic Party, says among the recommendations they are strongly making for the announced dialogue to be successful are the unconditional release of all people he says are illegally held in prisons and detention centers and an end to the separatist war in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

“Mr. Biya should call for a cease-fire. He was the one who declared war against the separatists. Release all those who are political prisoners in Cameroon including Maurice Kamto and Tabe Ayuk Sisseku [Julius Ayuk Tabe], and he should create a situation where all Cameroonians can express their will,” said Ekosso.

Biya declared war on the Anglophone separatists in November 2017 and said he would crush them if they did not surrender.

In August, the Yaounde military tribunal gave life sentences to Julius Ayuk Tabe, the leader of the separatist movement, and nine others it said had been found guilty of secession, terrorism and hostility against the state.

Opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who came in second in the October presidential election, but claims to have won, is on trial with dozens of others in a military tribunal on insurrection charges.

Biya has insisted that he will maintain Cameroon as one nation and indivisible. Justin Roger Ndah, assistant secretary-general of the opposition MRC party says they are urging the government to accept discussions on the form of the state.

He says Paul Biya should not think that speaking about the form of the state during the expected national dialogue is a taboo subject and an indication of his weakness. He says it is fundamental for all issues disturbing Cameroon to be brought to the discussion table and required constitutional amendments be made when the time comes.

Siddi Haman, a senior official of Biya’s CPDM party says people should see in the expected dialogue the president’s true will to bring peace to the country.

He says all Cameroonians should have confidence in Biya, who, as the father of the nation, has called for the dialogue. He says after the dialogue the president can use his constitutional power to grant the desires of the people, as the most important thing he is asking for before he leaves power is to maintain Cameroon as a peaceful, one and indivisible state with every one living in harmony.

The conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions has killed more than 2,000 people, internally displaced more than 500,000 and caused more than 50,000 Cameroonians to seek refuge in Nigeria, according to the United Nations.

Source: VOA