Yaounde: Francophone Minister signs order renaming Southern Cameroons territory ⁰

The Minister of Youth and Civic Education, Mounouna Foutsou has in a circular to the heads of various departments in his ministry renamed Southern Cameroons territory. The Francophone member of government also ordered his subordinates to attach strict observance to his instruction. The ministerial order stated that the South West and North West regions shall no longer to refer to as the Anglophone regions but simply North West and South West with the French appellation region du sud-ouest and region du nord-ouest being authentic.

Minister Foutsou’ order has been interpreted by members of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium as an insult to the people of West Cameroon. Nothing has so far come out of the Star Building following the publication of the circular at this delicate time in our country’s history.

In time, Southern Cameroons MPs and members of government including Prime Minister Philemon Yang have swallowed their pride and acceded. But for Southern Cameroonians in the struggle, denied a viable part of their identity has gone a long way to energize the sense of injustice festered over three generations and will be a major factor in the battle for secession.

Biya and his Francophone regime have offered many, sometimes contradictory, rationales for the rapes, extra judicial killings and arrests in Southern Cameroons ever since the revolution started. But this recent action by the Youth and Civil Education minister will of course have far reaching consequences.

By Rita Akana
Cameroon Concord News