This is the sixth year since an insurgency in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions hit the global stage and the killings and the resistance put up by separatist fighters has proven that the government cannot win this fight through military violence.

An ill-equipped, poorly armed, and badly organized group known as Amba fighters has been frustrating the government’s seasoned military for over five years and this should be a warning to the government. Military action alone will not always address all the issues which will come the government’s way.

Of the ten thousand people who have lost their lives in this uncalled-for conflict, four thousand have been government forces which are supposedly well-trained and well-equipped. Nobody had thought that the government would be losing sleep over a war wherein the enemy was little known and poorly equipped.

But due to the show put up by the ragtag group known as Amba fighters, Cameroon government officials have not had a good night’s sleep for more than five years. Soldiers who get sent to the warfront are permanently scared and constantly have butterflies in their stomachs. The Yaoundé hastily trained soldiers spend most of their time praying instead of seeking to challenge the real fighters who have, for more than five years, been comfortably living in the bushes and sometimes even head to Nigeria to enjoy their small but significant victories. 

Videos and pictures of soldiers kidnapped, ambushed and even beheaded are online today, underscoring that Amba fighters can take on the country’s military which has been enjoying French military support for decades. 

If after six years and after having spent millions of dollars in a war whose end is not in sight, it is obvious that only a negotiated peace settlement can deliver the results the world is looking forward to. Time and experience have proven that military action never addresses any issues. On the contrary, it only makes a bad situation worse, and it generates brand new problems.

The Cameroon government’s penchant for military brutality has not addressed the issues its English-speaking minority had submitted to it. On the contrary, military brutality has worsened relations between the government and the two English-speaking regions of the country. 

Today, many English-speaking Cameroonians hold that they are being treated like second-class citizens in their own country. They are constantly being harassed by Francophone soldiers who have been sent to the two English-speaking regions to oppress the civilian population.

The soldiers and police officers are now using the chaos in those two regions to enrich themselves. Once arrested on mere suspicion, an English-speaking Cameroonian is made to pay over USD 500 for him to be released even when he has not committed any crime. All these crimes against humanity are being committed with the approval and assistance of senior military and police officers who take the lion’s share of the booty their subordinates bring to them.

Sometimes, innocent civilians are tortured and thrown in jail for months without any justification. Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented many of these abuses, hoping that their reports might push the government into complying with its international obligations.

Unfortunately, their messages have all fallen on deaf ears, as the government still believes that only military action can bring about peace in a country that is already imploding.

In the past, it was just a feeling, but government actions and policies over the last six years have confirmed what many thought was simply a case of negligence and inadvertence. The marginalization of Cameroon’s English-speaking minority is real!

This feeling is buttressed by evidence on the ground. Instead of withdrawing Francophone teachers and magistrates from the two English-speaking regions of the country as requested, the government has been doubling down, hoping that time will address its issues on its behalf.

The government’s indifference to the suffering of the people in the two English-speaking regions and its mishandling of the situation are causing the conflict to protract. Its recent withdrawal from the Swiss Talks speaks to its arrogance and believe that time is on its side.

While the killings in the two English-speaking regions have reduced and some towns and cities in the regions are enjoying relative calm, there is abundant evidence that the storm is not yet over. 

Last week, some Roman Catholic priests were kidnapped in Nchang, a small town some five kilometers from Mamfe town, the headquarters of Manyu Division. The little town’s church was set ablaze before the criminals left the location, and the priests are still being kept in Ambazonian “green jails”. A king’s ransom has been requested by the kidnappers, but the Catholic Church, which is also struggling financially, has said that it will not be able to pay USD 100,00 for the five kidnapped priests. The captives are therefore on their own. 

The government, which is supposed to provide security for all those living within the geo-political entity known as Cameroon, is clearly missing in action. Indeed, the Yaoundé government is not in control of many parts of its territory, and this has made it possible for separatist fighters to operate freely in the rural areas of the two English-speaking regions of the country.

For more than five years, schools have been closed in those rural areas and the government has been unable to ensure that the rural kid goes to school like his counterpart in the towns and cities of Southern Cameroons. Many young girls have been impregnated by many predators, sometimes by the separatist fighters who claim they are fighting to protect the population. 

There is no other place in the world where impregnating young and desperate girls can be seen as protection. Amba fighters are clearly providing a new meaning to the word protection. The country’s future, just like that of the rural kid, is clearly being compromised and this is not a major concern to the government and its officials who are too busy with feathering their nest at the expense of the ordinary Cameroonian. 

In civilized environments, the government would be bending over backwards just to ensure its young and fragile citizens return to school as a means of ensuring that the country’s future is guaranteed.

If the government had to think beyond its own interest, it would find a reason to return to the negotiating table. Quitting the Swiss talks does not speak well of the Yaounde government which is known for its arrogance and ineptitude.

The government is clearly being deceived by the relative calm in the two English-speaking regions of the country. However, this could be the calm before a massive storm. There is no light at the end of the tunnel and even if there is some light, especially as life in the towns of Southern Cameroons is returning to normal, the light might be that of an oncoming train which might be bringing bad news to the entire country. 

Going back to the negotiating table is the ideal way of dealing with this conflict which has lasted for too long and has not been neglected by the Yaounde government and the international community. Continuous dialogue and negotiations will surely bail the country out of its quagmire while indifference will only make matters worse. A word to the wise is enough! 

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

Cameroon is a country known for its multiple challenges and the government’s inability to overcome some of these daunting challenges which have been left unattended for years.

Besides the usual economic challenges which have resulted in massive unemployment and tough financial challenges across the nation, the country has been struggling with an insurgency in its two English-speaking regions and this unfortunate situation is spreading, living in its wake a trail of death and environmental destruction.  

Plastic is not inherently bad. It is a man-made product which brings many benefits to society in terms of packaging and job creation. It is bound to be a long-term problem given that plastic is not bio-degradable and the current linear economic model of “take-make-waste” which is the root cause of plastic pollution is not helping matters. 

In Cameroon, it is a normal thing to see plastic waste is strewn all over the country. The country’s streets are dirty, and most water ways and gutters have been clogged with plastic waste. The most disheartening thing is that there is no effort or government policy to check the spread of these devastating plastic products which are not only destroying the physical environment, but are also killing many marine and domestic animals.

The issue with plastic starts with the way it is produced. The problems it creates gets compounded by the way products and packaging are designed, coupled with how plastic items are managed after use, making the management of plastics highly unsustainable and damaging to both human health and nature. 

This problem is indeed far-reaching. Discarded plastic items found in nature fragment over time into smaller and smaller pieces known as micro-plastics. Micro-plastics are found in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe. 

Animals, including livestock, can also confuse micro-plastics for food, which often leads to fatalities. Also, marine life often gets entangled in single-use plastic bags, ropes or discarded fishing nets. Plastic pollution thus poses a threat to the country’s blue economy, affecting ocean-based economic activities such as tourism, fishing and maritime trade. 

Cameroon is well known for its beautiful sunset, pristine land- and seascapes and impressive wildlife. But not too far from these idyllic nature-based tourist destinations are densely populated African cities such as Douala, Limbe, Kumba, Yaounde, Bamenda, etc. Most of the country’s rural areas and growing towns, rivers and coastlines are gradually becoming heavily polluted with discarded plastic packaging and other plastic waste. 

In Cameroon, plastic items are thrown away after use and this clearly serves as an indicator of poor plastic management. Plastic leakage into the environment is incontestably a symptom of failure regarding the management of the plastic lifecycle. 

From raw material extraction to polymer production and product design, to consumption and waste collection, to the management of plastic after use, there is no government policy which underscores the proper disposal of these plastic wasters which spell death to many marine animals.

 The true lifetime cost of plastic pollution is not fully known. These costs include greenhouse gas emissions, human and ecosystem health impacts, as well as unmanaged plastic waste. The government and key policy actors need to think systemically across the full lifecycle of plastic products. 

They must seek to preserve the country’s iconic landscapes, seascapes, and cities from devastating plastic pollution. The government needs to improve the integration and management of plastic waste into its national policy instruments if it really wants to eradicate plastic pollution and accelerate a shift towards a circular plastics economy in the country.

By Alain Agbor Ebot, Cameroon Concord News’ Senior reporter

Groups claiming to be fighting for the independence of the Northwest and Southwest English-speaking regions of Cameroon have been increasing in number, a situation that is running out of control, the leadership of the Catholic peace and charity foundation, Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), has said, and expressed concern that the Central African nation may be sliding into anarchy.

In a Tuesday, September 20 interview with ACI Africa, DHPI Director, Johan Viljoen, said that leaders of the various separatist groups who have been attacking locals are no longer able to manage “their own fighters”.

“It is clear that the leaders of the various groups of separatist fighters have no control over their own fighters. An attack happens and you see the leaders issuing statements condemning the attack carried out by their own people. The fighters have gone out of control and what we fear is that the situation in the Northwest and Southwest parts of Cameroon may be deteriorating into anarchy,” Mr. Viljoen said.

The DHPI Director recounted that what started in 2017 as a pro-independence movement in the Northwest and Southwest region of Cameroon known as Ambazonia, and supported by all locals, has since evolved into separate militia groups that have turned against locals in a series of kidnappings for ransom and, sometimes, killings.

The Director of the peace entity of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) recounted that at the onset of the independence struggle in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon, the most recognized pro-independence leader, Julius Ayuk Tabe, was imprisoned, but continued to enjoy widespread support even as the Cameroonian military engaged the fighters to stem the insurgency.

Today, however, infighting amongst pro-independence groups has resulted in what the DHPI Director has referred to as “breakaway interim governments” with each one claiming to be the legitimate representative of the Ambazonian people.

The various factions often engage in armed attacks on each other, Mr. Viljoen said, and explained, “Atrocities against civilians by the Cameroonian army hardly happen anymore. Kidnappings and attacks on villages are now mostly committed by separatists.”

According to the DHPI Director, the tide is turning in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon as people who have undergone immeasurable suffering at the hands of the militias now express a preference for the President Paul Biya-led government over the separatist fighters.

“Grassroots sentiment is now turning against the separatists, with many locals saying that if these are to be the military and police force of an independent Ambazonia, then they are probably better off under the Biya government,” Mr. Viljoen told ACI Africa September 20.

He expressed concern that attacks against churches and kidnapping of church personnel including Priests and Nuns have been increasing, and said, “We really fear for the safety of our Priest, Sisters, Seminarians and other Church personnel.”

Asked about the reason behind the targeting of the Catholic Church, the DHPI Director said, “I have no idea. We can’t say that it is Christians that are being targeted because the Anglophone crisis has no religious bearing.”

He continued, “I would say the Church is a soft spot. There has also always been the perception that the Catholic Church has a lot of money. Anyone who works in the Church would say that this is a wrong perception.”

Mr. Viljoen made reference to the September 16 arson attack on St. Mary’s Catholic Nchang Parish of the country’s Mamfe Diocese during which five Priests and a Catholic Nun were among those kidnapped, and said that those kidnapped “have not been heard of since then”.

The Director of the peace entity of the Catholic Bishops in Botswana, Eswatini, and South Africa underlined the need for separatist fighters to cease attacking locals in order to regain the support of local communities in the English-speaking region.

“The pro-independence movement now faces two choices. Either unite, abstain from attacks and kidnappings against local people and churches and win back the hearts and minds of local communities. Or end up like Somalia, Eastern DRC or South Sudan, trapped in an endless cycle of internecine warfare and killing,” DHPI says in a report shared with ACI Africa on Monday, September 19.

In the September 20 interview with ACI Africa, Mr. Viljoen expressed concern that Cameroon could especially end up like South Sudan that has been experiencing war that was sparked by a disagreement between the country’s current President Salva Kiir and former opposition leader, Dr. Riek Machar in December 2013.

“At first, the leaders in South Sudan enjoyed the support of the locals because they were fighting for the independence of South Sudan. But the infighting between the leaders is what caused the current crisis in the country. I fear that Cameroon may end up this way,” the Director of DHPI said.

Culled from ACI Africa