Consortium condemns attack on Dr. Fontem!! Says La Republique thrives on divide and rule ¹

Fellow West Cameroonians,

One of the weapons most adapted to Government’s quest to keep us permanently Subjugated has been “divide and rule”. For years, this was used very skillfully to Sharpen ethnic divisions within the SW Region as well as between the SW and NW Regions. The consequence was the exclusion of our people from political appointment (only inconsequential positions in government are given to us), the francophonization of local administration (almost all our governors and DOs are French-speaking), Etc. The use of force in administration was entrenched as a way of life. Today, gendarmes and police are everywhere on our streets, in the villages forcing our people to march; in short, our lives have been militarized as you can see everywhere today.

For years, our own brothers and sisters contributed to this situation with the kind of tribal or regional politics they played. They fuelled the hatred of the other and fought each other over positions which did not matter one bit. In parliament, they failed to present our plight and even clapped when the bill being passed was clearly anti-us.

My brothers and sisters,

Why has this become our preoccupation in the Consortium? We have noted with shock, an increase in hate speech among our academic and political elite. They castigate our very effort to bring justice to our people hoping that it could fetch them a promotion or an appointment. The number of nocturnal tribal meetings is on the increase, because some of our politicians think that the continuation of the ‘people’s

strike’ might jeopardize their political chances. The strike to them, means freeing ourselves from the vicious grip of this government which has used our political elite like ‘hand cuffs’. Yesterday, we all saw how the hatred some of our elite expressed in the social media resulted in an arson attack on Dr. Fontem Neba’s car. We strongly condemn such violence and are surprised that the government has not said a word about this shameful incident. As a community, we condemn all our brothers and sisters who toy with our destiny and think that they are justified in sowing division among us or spreading hatred.

CAMEROON ANGLOPHONE CIVIL SOCIETY CONSORTIUM

Propose policy alternatives to improve on the lives of the people

Commission studies to collect and analyze data on the problems identified

Identify problems affecting the existence of Anglophone People in Cameroon

Educate, advocate, mediate, advise and speak for Anglophones rights in Cameroon

Source for award/grants and scholarships to determine and influence policy orientation

Our social movement is a peaceful one, but all we have experienced is shootings, killings, arrests and now destruction of property. The Consortium holds Government responsible for this attack and demands that Government investigate the arson attack on Dr. Fontem and punish all those behind it immediately. The Consortium holds Government responsible for such attacks since they have failed to control their partisans and demands full reparation for such damage.

Fellow West Cameroonians,

Our unity, especially in such trying moments, is precious to us. If we have been able to ask the oppressor for accountability, it is because for once, we have united with each other. We must not allow the selfish ones among us to destroy our quest for a better life. Tribalism and narrow mindedness help to keep our people in bondage and we say NO to that.

We thank all West Cameroonians for remaining very peaceful and resisting all forms of provocation. Let it be clear, we must not break our unity; it is a strong weapon against oppression. Anyone propagating tribalism at this time of the struggle is an enemy of our people – shun him.

God is our strength.