Traditional Ruler’s: Agents of Reconciliation and Reconstruction In the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon

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Since 2016, the Anglophone regions of Cameroon have faced socio-political crises, which have hurt the life of the State in general, and the livelihood of the population of the North West and South West regions in particular. Defense forces and separatist fighters have perpetrated acts of violence leading to Human Rights violations and forceful displacement of civilians in and out of the country. Traditional rulers are also victims of atrocities perpetrated by armed groups. They were tortured, kidnapped and some of them even lost their lives and that push them to abandon their palaces to secure places in and out of the country.

The Major National Dialogue was organized from30th September to 4th October 2019, under the supervision of the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government to adopt sustainable solutions for the Anglophone crises. One of the major solutions is the moral and material reconstruction of the North West and South West regions. Traditional rulers, who are the custodian of the land and auxiliaries of the administration, play a vital role in facilitating the reconciliation and the reconstruction process in villages and towns. About national and local laws adopted at the level of the central and local administration, traditional rulers in times of peace or crises have to collaborate with the administration to ameliorate the conditions of citizens. It is in this light that, chiefs and Fons in North West and South West regions can be agents of reconciliation and reconstruction.

As agents of reconciliation, they should build trust between the government, population and separatist fighters. This mission will permit to regulate civil –Military relations through vigilante groups. It will as well bring separatist fighters to a cease-fire and reintegrated into society. Traditional rulers are very instrumental in community development projects. Chiefs and Fon’s play vital roles in the successful moral and physical execution of presidential plans for the reconstruction and development in the North West and South West regions. The Commission in charge of piloting the presidential plan should be fully integrated so that the targeted population may feel the benefits of peacebuilding projects.

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The socio-political crises in the North West and South West regions have severely influenced the life in these regions and the State as a whole. The Anglophone crises started with pacific protests of teachers and lawyers asking for the valorization of their working conditions and documents. Since mid-2017, the tension in the North and South West regions have escalated with the proliferation of armed groups (Crisis Group, 2O18). Security and defense forces have been trying to ensure that calm return to normal in the two Anglophone regions. Separatist’s Armed Groups, defense and security forces has continue to commit serious atrocities against unarmed civilians (CHRDA, 2020). They have continuously torture, Kidnaped, arbitral arrests, and unlawfully kill unarmed civilians.  Civilians who refused to observe “ghost town” and instructions to close schools were seriously violated. Those who refuse to give information and those suspected take sides either with the government or separatist fighters, faced severe punishment from conventional or non-conventional forces.(Amnesty International, 2020). Since 2016 over 60 000 people have abandoned their homes for more secure places out of the country (CHRDA, 2020).

The frequency of Ghost towns created severe losses on businesses and corporations (Dinga, 2017). A survey carried out by the French-language newspaper daily “Le Quotidien de l’economie” has shown that Cameroon’s economy is losing billions (XAF) due to the ongoing Anglophone crisis, which includes “ghost town” operations. The country has lost more than 470 million Dollars due to the Anglophone crisis from 2018 to 2019 (Kuwonu, 2019). The situation in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon is becoming increasingly desperate with no one(men, women, and children) spared from the violence which is spiraling out of control,” said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Central Africa.

Traditional rulers are the auxiliary of the administration, who have been victims of human rights violations perpetrated by separatist fighters. They have continuously been kidnapped, tortured and some of them killed in their villages because they collaborated with the administration( Crisis group, 2019). The Major National Dialogue was organized from the 30th of September to October 4th, 2019, to address issues fueling the crises in order to solve it definitely. They were important recommendations adopted by participants and they were channeled to the Head of State for modalities of implementation. Stakeholders from the grassroots to the national level were invited to contribute to the effective implementation of resolutions of the major National Dialogue.

How can Traditional rulers who are the auxiliary of the administration and custodian of our traditions play a vital role in peacebuilding? This article will principally bring us to reflect on the mechanism in which traditional rulers can participate in the return of sustainable peace in North West and South West regions. Specifically, it will assess the level of human rights violations committed to traditional rulers in their areas. It will as well evaluate the impact of peace initiatives already carried out in villages in the North West and South West regions. Primary and secondary data were used to build up this article. Primary data came from interviews coming from military authorities, administrative authorities, traditional rulers, and some internally displaced persons in the North West and South West regions. Secondary data were collected using desk review of relevant published and unpublished peer-review articles, books, theses, dissertations, website publications, magazine and newspaper articles, government or NGO s reports. The study will be descriptive and exploratory.

In the historical evolution of Cameroon, traditional rulers have always been the object of serious violations by armed groups during conflicts. In the context of the war against Boko Haram, Lamidos and lawans were tortured, kidnapped, and even killed by Boko Haram fighters (Alawodi Zelao, 2017). This situation led to the destruction of the social and ancestral powers of traditional rulers in the far north region of Cameroon (Gwoda et Al 2017).

Since the outbreak of the socio-political crises in the North West and South West regions, traditional authorities have equally been victims  of several human rights violations because they are the auxiliary of the Administration. Since 2018, at least eight chiefs have been kidnapped in some villages in Buea. They were Chief Njombe Johnson in Wokaka, Philip Mokwa in Wokeka, Elinge Ndoto in Ewili, Herman Njumbe in Wokwei, Francis Molinga inLiwuh la Malale, LietiWoloko in Woteva, Chief Mbanda in Lysoka and Chief LietiWoloko in Woteva.(Cameroon daily news,2O18). HRH Chief JohnsonNjombeNjoke, who was arrested on Thursday, July 12, 2018, and appeared in a video that went viral on social media, calling on the government to call off the Presidential election till Anglophone crisis is solved (Cameroon daily news, 2018). HRH Stephen Itoh Esoh, the supreme chief of the Balondo people during a church service was taken out and killed by armed men in his village Ekondo Titi village( CHRDA, 2018) Chief Joseph Ebong in Atati village escaped to Nigeria after his life was severally threatened ( Moki Edwin, 2018). Eight traditional rulers in the North West and South West regions were killed in the space of four months in 2018 (Moki Edwin, 2018). Palaces and cultural heritage of villages were desecrated due to violence, leaving no options to chiefs and fon’s to abandon their villages to secure places in or out of the country.

These atrocities perpetrated on civilians and their properties are serious violations of humanitarian law. According to the four Geneva conventions of 1949 wilful killing, torture or inhuman treatment, and extensive destruction of properties fall under ‘’ War crimes”. Since the colonial period, traditional rulers have constantly been consulted by the administration. It gave them an aura in the life of the State and mostly in times of crisis. Traditional chiefs play an important role in rural and urban areas in Cameroon (AlawadiZelao, 2014). They are responsible for the customary power in a clan or a tribe. Their appellation varies from village to village or region to region. The people of the grass field region refer to chiefs as Fon and Mbe. Bafaws as Nfon and the Bakossis as Nhon and Khen. In the South, Center, and in the East region of Cameroon they are called Nkunkuma. In the Far North, North, and the Adamawa regions, traditional rulers are call Lamidos and lawans and Sultan in Foumban in the West region (Divine Metiege, 2012).

According to decree No 77/245 of July 15, 1977, organizes traditional chiefdoms; they are three categories of chiefdoms: first-class chiefdom, second class chiefdom, and third class chiefdom. A first-class chiefdom covers at least two second-class chiefdoms and its territorial limits are Division. A second class chiefdom covers at least two third-class chiefdoms and their territorial limit is a subdivision. The third class chiefdom covers a quarter or a village in a rural area or a quarter in urban areas. First-class chiefdoms are set up by order of the Prime Minister while the Minister of territorial administration gives it for second class chiefdoms. Senior Divisional officers set up third-class chiefdoms. The 15th July 1977 decrees on chieftaincy equally give them the mandate of the auxiliary of the administration. ( Gwoda et AL , 2017).It is that light that as auxiliary of the administration, traditional rulers are focal points between the central administrations in the socio-economic framework for the betterment of the populations under the supervision of administrative authorities. (Cameroon report, 2018).

Law no671LF19 of 12 June 1967 organizing defense in Cameroon involves everybody in the protection of the State. It gives a mandate to traditional rulers to contribute to the national security strategies of Cameroon. The Law of September 1st, 1972 on the conduct of popular defense gives a mandate to traditional rulers to be supervisory authorities of vigilante groups created in their villages. In the70 s, when Cameroon was facing socio-political crises the then Minister of territorial administration called on traditional rulers to give a helping hand to the military authorities, to counter that crises by creating vigilante groups in their various villages (Gwoda et AL,2017).

The administration precisely the Governor of the Far North region through Decision No557/L/K/CAB/SS of the 7 November 2016 of the Governor of the far north restructuring vigilante groups operating in the far north region under the supervision of lamidos and lawans ( First , second and third class c traditional rulers). Senior divisional officers took as well decisions to formally make traditional rulers heads of vigilante groups in some divisions in the Far North regions. Decision NoLI62/LIK/22ISDL of July 2015 taken by the Senior Divisional of Diamare creating and designating lawans (second class chiefs) as head of vigilante groups. The war against the jihadist group Boko Haram was contained by vigilante defense and security with the active participation of lamidos, lawans and vigilante groups. This success was recognized by all Cameroonians from the grass root to the national level. On the February 10th 2016, the president in his speech on the eve of youth day render a vibrant homage to the defense forces, security forces and the population of the Far – North region by saying “It is my place to pay a vibrant homage to defense forces, security forces and the population. They have shine with their discipline and professionalism for some, courage and patriotism for others. Their actions have gone a long run to preserve our territorial integrity.” (Gwoda et AL,2017). During a meeting in Yaoundé on August 19th 2020, between the Minister of Territorial Administration and internally displaced traditional rulers of North West and South West regions discussed modalities to return in their palace to contribute in bringing peace. (Cameroon Tribune, 2020).  

Traditional rulers can be agents of reconciliation in the North West and South West regions. The populations of the two Anglophones regions have been living with a sentiment of frustration and marginalization leaving them no choice to turn their back to the government. This has resulted to the rising of hate speech in social media, physical discussions, audio-visual and print media. They are the custodians of the land and know everybody and their ideology. Reconciliation is a peaceful and amicable relationship that occurs between – and is built by – perpetrators and victims after a conflict (Auerbach,2009). The reconciliation mechanism aims at rebuilding friendship and harmony between conflicting parties and attaining ‘an act of conflict resolution, but also an emotional process of changing the motivations, beliefs, attitudes and emotions inferred about the rival side’ (Bekerman and Zembylas 2012:57). The actions of the perpetrator include confessing his/her wrongs, acknowledging the victimhood of the survivor and sympathizing with him/her (Schaap 2005). By so doing, the perpetrator may be forgiven by the survivor and may then be brought back to his/her community. (Kabwete , 2018).

Traditional rulers can rebuild the bridge between the population of the two Anglophone regions and the government. In the context of the genocide in Rwanda reconciliation was carried out by traditional rulers and clergy through an awareness campaign to perpetrators inviting them to confess their crimes and victims to forgive them. South West chiefs’ conference during one of their meetings in Buea carries out an awareness campaign to call their people to calm. They call as well the government to implement resolutions of the Major National Dialogue for sustainable solutions of the crises. The fon of Balikumbat recently paid a visit to his village people that ran violence to settle in Obala.{Check this sentence in red) The message sent was to come back home and rebuild the village. The Government through the Ministry of Defence should integrate traditional rulers and the population as partners in the national security strategy to bring peace in North West and South West. In the context of asymmetric warfare, it is difficult to differentiate non-combatants and combatants. It is then easy to kill innocent civilians thinking they are combatants. This is the case in NGARBUH and SANTA in the North West region. During a military offense in Ngarbuh in Ndu subdivision in Donga-Mantung division in the North West region on February 2020, 22 civilians were killed. Ngarbuh village was targeted by security forces and it was alleged that Ngarbuh was a logistics center for separatist fighters, supplying traditional made arms, ammunition and fuel. Separatists’ fighters pretreated all sorts of abuses against the local population (cattle rustling, rape, and assaults). A similar operation was also carried out on July 19th 2020 in the village of Pinyi, Santa subdivision Mezam division and North West region .The offensive operation was alleged to neutralize separatist fighters in the localities of Pinyi, Santa, Njong and Azire. In the cause of the fight with separatist fighters and civilians suffered a lot of damages (CHRDA, 2020).Defense and security forces can collaborate with local vigilante groups under the supervision of the Brigade Commander, the Commissioner of public security and the traditional ruler of the area. This collaboration can take the form of information sharing on the security atmosphere of villages and making traditional rulers focal points. Traditional rulers and villagers master well their areas and know the ideology of everyone living in that area. This synergy between the Gendarme, police officers, traditional rulers and the population will go a long run to strengthen the relationship between the Nation and The Army which will consolidate National Unity.

Traditional rulers do play an active role in Disarmament, Demobilization, and reintegration process (DDR) processes. Its objective is to contribute to security and stability in post-conflict environments so that recovery and development can begin. DDR helps create an enabling environment for political and peace processes by dealing with security problems that arise when ex-combatants are trying to adjust to normal life, during the vital transition period from conflict to peace and development. (UN, 2020) .DDR supports ex-combatants to become active participants in the peace process by removing Weapons from the hands of combatants; taking the combatants out of military structures and integrating combatants socially and economically into society. On November 30, 2018, Cameroon’s President signed a decree to create a national committee to Disarm, Demobilize and Reintegrate (DDR) secessionists in the English-speaking regions and former Boko Haram militants in the Far North. The move, while welcomed by some observers who consider it a step forward towards achieving peace. Two years after its creation, the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration has registered success and weakness.DDR centers in the Anglophone crisis are registered success. The DDR center in Bamenda impacted the life of its first recruits in 2018 that were ex-combatants operating in OKU BUI division. They were trained on farming, tailoring, cosmetology, shoe making and poultry rearing (Cameroon Tribune, August 2020). The commission suffers as well from some shortcomings in its functioning. Separatist fighters reluctantly joined DDR centers and prefer to remain in the bush due to fear factors (Biao, 2020). They don’t trust the government also they find it difficult to face communities in which they are operating and they don’t want to lose the benefit healed from their activities during the war. Chiefs and Fon’s in collaboration with authorities managing the commission can work to bring sustainable results. Traditional rulers can take the peace offering initiated by the Head of State to radicalized youths because as custodian of the land, they know everybody and where to locate them. They can convince them to leave the bush and come back for reinsertion. They can as well rebuild the trust between the ex-combatants and the population in which they belong and committed atrocities by establishing reconciliation, forgiveness and justice commission in villages. During a meeting with his village people chief, Tambe Tangdong pleaded to the youths to drop their arms and the State will take care of their reintegration. He did this by kneeling down in front of the population. This act had a significant impact in that area. Traditional rulers should be integrated in all peace initiatives and peacebuilding projects.

A pastor from Eyomojock, some traditional rulers and the Divisional officer of that area carried out a sensitization campaign to call youths to leave the bush. The turn-out was satisfactory with the number of youths that drops their guns. Traditional rulers play a vital role in community development. In Nigeria since the introduction of local government in 1976, traditional rulers have facilitated the execution of Government projects in local communities. Sometimes, traditional rulers initiate development projects and secure the support of both internal and external development agents for the execution of these projects (Wilhelmina. J. Donkoh, 2002:105-114). Traditional leaders work in collaboration with their subjects and therefore involve the whole community along to execute development projects that will be of benefit to the entire community (Santos, 2020). A traditional ruler in Ikono Local Government Area in Nigeria has offered better performance in development projects in that areas through their spirit of honesty, transparency and accountability. Most projects suit the wishes of the people at the grassroots level. (Irefin , 2020).

Traditional rulers are impediments to nation-building in Cameroon. The law N° 2019/O24 of December 24th 2019 on the General code of regional and local authorities put the traditional rulers at the center of local governance. They are consultants in municipal councils because they help to identify the need of citizens in the vicinity of the municipality. The symbiosis between municipal councils and traditional rulers is inevitable because they work for the good of the people. Chiefs are regularly invited in municipal council’s deliberations during their sessions. The 2019 law General code of regional and local authorities makes traditional rulers at the level of regions makes traditional rulers channels for transmission from modern authorities to villagers. 20 traditional rulers are represented in each regional council. The special status conferred to the Anglophone regions consolidates the powers of traditional rulers with the establishment of the house of chiefs (MOKI EDWIN, 2019). The house of chiefs will have as mandate to give an opinion on the status on the socio- politic and economic strength of traditional chiefdoms. It will also give room to traditional rulers to give opinions on the organization of cultural manifestations.

The Presidential Plan for Reconstruction and Development of North west and South West is coordinated by the Government and UNDP for a period of ten years. The plan aims to bring back sustainable peace in the two Anglophone regions by restoring social cohesion, reconstruction, rehabilitation of basic infrastructure and revitalizing local economy.

Specifically, it will consist of building 350 schools, 115 health centers, 45 markets, 17000 private homes, 25 000 hectares of farms grazing land and 300 000 personal documents will be recover. The Presidential plan for the reconstruction of the North West and South West regions is a fulfillment of some of the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue to tackle the crisis in the English speaking regions. The Prime Minister Head of Government during the installation of the two coordinators in charge of the execution of the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of Northwest and South West regions Minister Paul Tasong and former Mayor of Jumbo Donatus Njong, instructed them to revitalize the economy and rehabilitate basic infrastructure destroyed during the sociopolitical crisis. The presidential plan to rebuild the Northwest and South West regions is very a good thing because it will go a long way to consolidate sustainable peace but they are some elements very important to take in consideration for it successful execution. They are some villages and towns where violence is still going on and the atmosphere is not conducive to carry any reconstruction projects. The atmosphere is still tense in some parts of these regions like Lebialem, MEME, MOMO and some part of Manyu divisions. Coordinators of these projects should involve a range actors to guarantee the effective execution of that plan. Traditional rulers can be instrumental in the realization of these peace building projects in villages, subdivisions and divisions. We are in an era of concerted and decent development. Coordinators of the Presidential plan must include all stakeholders in the realization of peacebuilding projects. The success of the development plan is measure when it takes in consideration needs and aspirations of targeted beneficiaries. An assessment is important in the realization of a development project. It’s aimed is to gather core information from representative of needs of a community. Assessments are performed before taking actions and used to determine current actions. The Commission to run the presidential plan for reconstruction and development in the Anglophone regions should make chiefs and Fon focal points to carry out need assessment in areas of interventions. This will permit to realize projects which will take in consideration the specificity of people in that area. The populations of the North West and South West have a mixed feeling about the presidential plan. Traditional rulers can carry out awareness campaigns to sensitize villagers in their local language on the positive impact of these peace building projects. The inclusion of everybody in the execution of a project is the guarantee that it will be successful. The execution of the plan will require human resources and the commission can recommend that contractors should take at least 60% of the human resource in the area in which the project is carried out. This will push the population to accept the presidential plan in general and to deradicalized youths in particular. One of the reasons some of those youths were radicalized is due to joblessness. Chiefs and Fon’s can be focal points in connecting youths with contractors in charge of realizing the presidential plan. Traditional rulers can also evaluate and monitor projects at the grassroots level due to their proximity in the zone of execution of the plan.

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The study set out to investigate and describe how traditional rulers in North West and South West regions can effectively participate in the peacebuilding process in their areas affected by the war. Chiefs and fons have been victims of violence perpetrated by separatist fighters in their chiefdom and some of them even lost their lives. This situation pushes some them to flee to secure places in and out of the country. Traditional rulers in Cameroon according to the law on chieftaincy are auxiliary of the administration and they helped to achieve their missions in a time of peace and crises. It is in that light that the administration precisely the Minister of territorial administration calls on them to return to their villages to consolidate peace.

Traditional rulers due to their proximity with the population can be the agent of reconciliation and reconstruction in the North West and South West regions. Traditional rulers can play an active part in reconciling all stakeholders that fuel the conflict. Specifically, they will have to rebuild the trust between the government, population and the separatist fighters.

This reconciliation can help to deradicalized youths in the bush to drop their arms and participated in Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process. Chiefs and fons can integrate the security strategy to stabilize the two Anglophone regions by coordinating with security forces vigilante groups. Traditional rulers can also be agents of reconstruction. They can be core facilitators to the execution of the Presidential plan for the reconstruction and development for North West and South West regions. Traditional rulers as community development actors can work with the Commission in charge of piloting that presidential plan to achieve its objective which is to rebuild the socio-economic strength of North West and South West regions.                                           

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