Anglophone crisis, the neglected crisis in the modern generation!!!
4 min readWhat started as a problem and later generated into a full grown crisis in 2016, has been on the pick following the neglect of lawyers and teachers plight, subsequent maltreatment and massive arrest of leaders as from late 2016 till date.
When the lawyers and teachers plights was rejected or delayed to be listen to by the Cameroon government authorities and the subsequent arbitrary arrest and torture, the civil society took over and launch their own protest which later on grow into the creation of self-defense groups within the region. As the security forces continue to maltreat the citizens of this region, the activist began to agitated for the separation and creation of Ambazonian state
The aggravation of this crisis has caused untold sufferings, killings and property destruction within the jurisdiction of the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon. There is no gain saying that the crisis in the Anglophone regions has not been neglected by the international community. There has never been any concrete and or serious international comments or contribution (despites its level of deterioration) toward solving the crisis sine three years ago when the crisis broke out, especially from the international instrument of conflicts prevention like AU, UN, EU and the host of others.
More than 130 villages have been partially or severely burnt according to www.chrda.org statistics, in the median of the year 2018, the United Nations estimated that at least 40,000 refugees have flee from Cameroon to Nigeria and that at least at least 160, 000 persons have been internally displaced. And it is implied that the number must have increase drastically as the crisis deteriorates. In November 2018, the United Nations through OCHA Cameroon estimated that the number of the displace population has increased to 437,500persons (https://reliefweb.intn ) It is worthy to note that the international instrument of conflicts prevention have though saying something (very shallow and mere comments), they have not taken any concrete measure to end the killings and sufferings the Anglophone population is going through.
Within this crisis, there have been violations of international, regional and domestic laws pertaining to the protection of human rights. For example, schools have been burnt; unarmed civilians have been killed, the education family has been the target and use as a tool of political game, hospitals have been attack, the economic and social insecurity has drastically been increasing and the host of other ills.
Just of recent the separatist activist called for a 10days lockdown (from the 4th to the 14 of February 2019) which was massively respected by the inhabitant of the Northwest and the Southwest regions of Cameroon. Within this 10days lockdown, people have been killed, cars have been burnt, houses burnt and the economy grounded while causing pain and sufferings to the population of the Anglophone regions of Cameroon.
Both parties to the conflict that is the government authorities and the separatists activists have been pointing accusing fingers at each other of being responsible for the above pain and suffering in the region.
The deteriorating situation seems to or is equivalent to the neglected happenings in Rwanda in the early 1990s when the minor conflict was later aggravated into full genocide in 1994. There is a need for the United Nations, African Union, European Union and the host of others to intervene early rather than to waste money sending UN peacekeepers and humanitarian aid.
When one look at the Rome statutes Act of 17 July 1998 and its wordings, it is clear that the international community silent is a form of wickedness and senseless neglect best known to them. This is because the above international statute of Rome was aim at preventing wars and the violations/abuse of human rights within the globe. But the said statute seems useless as many crimes against humanity, act of genocide, war crimes and the host of others are being carried out in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon and the international “grundnorm” remain silent. Visit the following link for more info https://berinyuy1legal2issues.wordpress.com/2018/10/16/genocide-and-war-crimes-stand-tall-in-anglophone-cameroon-as-citizens-are-reduce-to-lowest-animals/
If there is one thing more important to say, it will be that the use of guns cannot and will never solve the Anglophone crisis in Cameroon. But talk will do that (be a solution to the conflict) taking into consideration the saying on the preamble of UNESCO constitution which is to the fact that wars are people’s ideologies and that the defenses of the said wars must be constructed in the minds of men. Conflicts have existed and wars have been fought for years in the past but at last ended up on a table of discussion
Then why is it that the international community is silent? Is it because they have no benefit from the said regions? An Anglophone Cameroonian will wonder!!!
Societal Issues and Legality therefore urges the national (government authorities, separatist activists and stakeholders) and the international community (UN, AU etc.) to take the sufferings of the masses (commoners) into consideration and initiate negotiations/mediation as fast as possible so that there can be justice which can give way for peace to reign supreme again
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
