Southern Cameroons Crisis: American Diplomat Takes Yaounde Government to Task ⁰

The American undersecretary of State, Tibor Nagy, who has brought the plight of the suffering Southern Cameroonian to the fore, has just addressed a foreign affairs forum in Washington DC where he urged the international community to take urgent action against the Yaounde government which has continued to inflict pain on the people of Southern Cameroons.

“Cameroon has done nothing to resolve the conflict, The military still continues to burn down villages and towns while armless civilians are forced to flee into the bushes.The US must redouble its efforts and commitment to see an end to the conflict,” he said.

Mr. Nagy who has worked in Cameroon as a technical adviser to the then American ambassador, Frances Cooke, has been calling for change in Cameroon.

He has also called on the government to establish a federal system that will enable the country’s Anglophone minority to take control of its destiny.

Last month, following the collapse of the Bashir government in Sudan, Mr. Nagy congratulated the Southern Cameroonian Diaspora for the marvellous job it has done to put the Southern Cameroons crisis on the front burner.

It should be recalled that America, Canada, the United Kingdom and some EU countries are working hard for the Southern Cameroons crisis to be addressed, though the Yaounde government has been very reluctant.

Some of these countries are for a regime change, but would like the UN to take the lead on any efforts aimed at addressing the conflict.

Meanwhile, the violence in the two English-speaking regions has continued despite calls from the international community for an inclusive dialogue.

Soldiers loyal to the Yaounde regime have continued their rampage, burning homes and killing anybody who crosses their path.

Today, several homes were burnt in Mankon and other towns in the region. Recently, a group of young men celebrating reggae music and Bob Marley in Muyuka were all gunned down by some trigger-happy soldiers.

A heavy exchange of fire has also been reported in Buea and Kumba today and it has also been reported that three army soldiers have lost their lives in Buea.

Violence and insecurity have become the constants in that part of the country, with women and children being the primary victims.

Though the country’s Prime Minister is on a tour of the region, it is clear that his trip will not change much in the region, as Southern Cameroonians do not trust him and his government.

The Prime Minister is in the region to sell peace, but not many people are buying the blood-tainted product he is selling.

His peace plan is doomed to failure given that those clamouring for a separate Southern Cameroons state have been excluded from any dialogue.

Speaking to the Cameroon Intelligence Report correspondent in Buea, a senior government official who is on the Prime Minister’s delegation said on condition of anonymity that he was not sure they would achieve any success.

“I fear we are flogging a dead horse. The people of the two English-speaking regions are not buying into the peace plan we have come to sell to them. They don’t trust the government and it is clear that our objective will not be attained,” he said.

“The government had underestimated the problem and today, it has taken epic proportions. From every indication, the government will have to go to the negotiating table with the same people it has branded as terrorist,” he said.

“The people trust their leaders and only those leaders who are in jail will help the government find a way out of this impasse. The government has to listen to the international community if it wants to end the bloodshed,” he concluded.

By Bamba Gaoussou and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai