The Major National Dialogue convened by Cameroon’s President, Paul Biya, is finally over with no major decisions taken. Many Cameroonians have been looking forward to this dialogue known by many Southern Cameroonians as “die-lock” as the situation in the two English-speaking regions of the country deteriorates daily.

The recommendations of the dialogue convened by the government, organized by the government and chaired by the government will be sent to the head of state who many distrust and see as the architect of a messy conflict that has put the country in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

Though many Southern Cameroonians, especially those in the Diaspora, do not expect much from the dialogue, there is however a ray of hope that something positive might come out of the noise and partying that have characterized the process.

By organizing the dialogue, Biya has acknowledged that the country’s military, which is supposedly well-trained and well-armed, cannot roll back a hastily built ragtag armed group. It is also an acknowledgement that the government has failed in many respects. It has failed to enhance unity in the country. It has failed to grow the economy and it has failed to grow the peace that made Cameroon unique.

However, the dialogue must also be given some credit. It has created an opportunity for all issues facing our country to be discussed, though the time was short for any real solutions to be delivered. The discussion of those issues is, of course, an effort to address them.

While the dialogue itself is commendable, there are still many doubts in people’s minds. Cameroonians do not trust their leaders and they fear that the resolutions of the dialogue, though not meeting the expectations of Southern Cameroonians, may not be implemented as recommended by participants of the dialogue.

For more than three decades, the Biya government has not been honest to Cameroonians. Its cardinal objective has been to sustain itself in power and this has implied getting everything by crook. With such a political philosophy, the days ahead do not look promising. The government might simply pursue its own policy without thinking about the consequences of its actions.

It should be recalled that the Southern Cameroons crisis was born out of the government’s arrogance and inefficiency. For years, the country has been slipping into chaos and calls by citizens only fell on deaf ears.

Those who were considered as being too vocal by the government were arrested and thrown to rot in jail. Instead of addressing the issues, the Yaounde government has been chasing shadows.

For over three decades, it made sure only those who flattered the head of state had a huge chunk of the national cake. Every single achievement in the country was ridiculously attributed to the head of state, including even the delivery of children in hospitals without equipment.

As for the two English-speaking regions of the country, they were simply neglected and though most of the country’s wealth comes from the two regions, they have remained poor and there is no sign that their fate will change anytime, soon.

It worth mentioning that the country’s oilfields are in the southwest region, but the oil-producing areas of the region are unfortunately the poorest, with no modern infrastructure. Bad roads imply that many people are losing their lives daily and poor health care facilities mean many women and children cannot get the care they need.

The South West region accounts for more than 30% of the country’s wealth. It is also the region that accounts for more than 25% of the country’s cocoa production. Its fertile and volcanic soil makes it the country’s food basket. It accounts for more than 40% of the food that is exported to Cameroon’s neighboring countries like Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

But the conflict that has ruined the country’s economy has also robbed the region of its production capacity. The region’s economy has collapsed, and many farmers and fishermen have simply left the region. The holding of the national dialogue may therefore be good news for many in the two regions. Even those living out of the region are feeling the impact of the crisis.

The effects of the crisis have been rippling out to the other regions of the country. Inflation is on the rise and crime has increased in many cities in East Cameroon. Checking the impact of the crisis implies taking a hard and long look at the issues that triggered the crisis with a view to seeking lasting solutions. But will the government take such an approach and even when it does, will it listen to the wishes of the people? Will it ever hold that the will of the people is supreme?

While it has been recommended that the two English-speaking regions be given a special status as prescribed by the country’s constitution, it must be highlighted that Southern Cameroonians in their immense majority will never accept anything short of a federal system that will grant them the right to run their own affairs.

Before calling for the restoration of their independence, Southern Cameroonians had called for a federal system which was clearly and violently rejected by the government, and the leaders of the movement were hastily arrested and jailed in Yaoundé. Many have since escaped and are living broad. They have swollen the ranks of the Diaspora that has become a nightmare to the government.

Federalism may not satisfy many Southern Cameroonians, but it will calm down many minds that have been hurt. While it is impossible to bring back those who have lost their lives in the conflict, it is however possible to rebuild lives and to design a better future for all through consultations and dialogue instead of war.

However, if the government does not listen, the guns will start delivering death and destruction once the Prime Minister closes his hastily convened dialogue. While the dialogue was going on on Friday, there was a shootout between government forces and Southern Cameroonian fighters in Bali, North West region.

The fighters want an independent Southern Cameroons and in their minds their land must be liberated. If the fighting must end, the government might have to declare a ceasefire and grant amnesty to all those who have directly or indirectly been involved in the conflict.

Since erupting in 2016, the conflict pitting Southern Cameroonians against the government has resulted in the deaths of some 3,000 Cameroonians, including more than 1,000 soldiers.

Besides the numerous deaths, government forces have also deleted more than 200 villages from the country’s map following orders from the president and the country’s defense minister, Joseph Beti Assoumo.

On many occasions, these government forces have beencaught red-handed torching many homes and firing indiscriminately at innocent civilians who simply wanted to have a decent life. The government needs to apologize for some of these atrocities if it must douse the fire that is in many minds.

If the past must be forgotten, the government must listen. It must avoid making this dialogue a platform for Mr. Biya to reinvent himself as the benevolent leader who wants to bring peace to the country. He declared war without engaging in any impact analysis.

He conducted himself as if his army was killing nationals of another country. It will be hard for Southern Cameroonians to trust the government, talk less of forgiving it for bringing death and destruction to their towns and cities.

The government has a huge crisis on its hands. If its efforts to end the war must bear any fruits, it must also seek to repair its relationship with the country’s Diaspora. Long speeches and a condemnation of Cameroonians living abroad will never bring peace to Cameroon.

The government must go beyond its usual rhetoric. The Major National Dialogue might not provide solutions to all the issues, but it is a moment for the government to take a long and hard look at its actions; those actions that have gone a long way in shattering the peace that was the country’s hallmark for decades.

Delegates at the ongoing national dialogue in Cameroon have welcomed the release of 330 prisoners and resolution to grant the English-speaking regions special status.

The country’s prime minister Joseph Dion Ngute, who is leading the dialogue process, announced on Thursday that president Paul Biya had ordered for the release of several hundred detainees linked to the separatist crisis.

“The president has asked for the release of more than 330 people who have been arrested because of the troubles in the Northwest and Southwest” regions,’‘ Ngute said.

The “dialogue,” launched by Biya, is meant to resolve a crisis that has left thousands dead, driven hundreds of thousands from their homes and inflicted escalating economic damage.

The premier said Biya sought “a measure to calm (the situation)… while we continue our work.”

He read a statement first in French and then in English, and was given a standing ovation by many participants.

Separately, the president’s office issued a communique that said there were “333 persons concerned” by the measure.

Tibor Nagy ✔@AsstSecStateAF  This is an encouraging first step toward peaceful dialogue in the Southwest and Northwest regions of #Cameroon https://twitter.com/afp/status/1179832992048435200 … AFP news agency

Special administrative status

And late Thursday, delegates adopted a resolution at the dialogue’s plenary session recommending “special status” for the English-speaking areas “aimed at re-enforcing the autonomy of administrative areas”.

Armed separatists in the Northwest and Southwest regions launched a campaign two years ago for independence from Cameroon, where French is the predominant language.

Biya’s government has responded with a crackdown that rights groups have fiercely condemned.

The International Crisis Group has estimated that nearly 3,000 people have been killed in violence committed by both sides and more than half a million people have fled their homes.

Biya’s “dialogue,” which opened on Monday and is scheduled to end on Friday, brings together political groups, civil society and religious groups, as well as representatives of the armed forces.

‘Release detained leaders’

But armed rebel groups have snubbed the forum, and analysts have questioned whether the initiative can achieve much while the main separatist leaders are behind bars.

“We welcome the decision by the president to release 330 anglophone detainees. It is a step in the right direction,” Felix Agbor Nkongho, a leading anglophone lawyer and human-rights defender who is taking part in the forum, told AFP.

“But we call for a general amnesty to all those in detention and those in the diaspora under investigation.”

In August, secessionist leader Julius Ayuk Tabe, the self-proclaimed president of “Ambazonia”, was sentenced to life in prison along with nine of his supporters.

Biya, in his announcement of the “dialogue” on September 10, made no mention of any release of these figures, although he reiterated an offer to “pardon” any separatists who voluntarily lay down their arms.

English-speakers account for about a fifth of Cameroon’s population of 24 million.

They are mainly concentrated in the Northwest and Southwest regions, which were folded into Cameroon after the colonial era in Africa wound down six decades ago.

Resentment has festered there for years among English-speakers who complain of discrimination and marginalisation, especially in education, the judiciary and economic opportunities.

Biya, 86, who has been in power for nearly 37 years, has repeatedly refused demands for decentralisation or a return to a federal structure — a move blamed for radicalisation of the anglophone movement.

AFP

On Monday, 30 September, the government of Cameroon launched a national dialogue aimed at ending ongoing armed conflict in the Anglophone north-west and south-west regions. Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute is leading the talks in the capital, Yaoundé. During the days leading up to the dialogue, some armed separatist groups rejected the process and intensified their attacks in the disputed Anglophone regions, killing a number of people and damaging electrical infrastructure.

President Paul Biya announced the national dialogue on 10 September amidst growing pressure from the international community. Following her visit to Cameroon in May, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, urged “all sides, including the Government, to make a strenuous effort to end the fighting and begin peace talks.” In June the government of Switzerland also offered to mediate the conflict.

The government of Cameroon has consistently denied the gravity of the crisis and President Biya has dismissed the grievances of Anglophone protesters. Meanwhile, a number of separatist leaders have refused to attend the dialogue, emphasizing that they would only work with those willing to formally recognize the independence of the Anglophone regions.

The launch of the national dialogue coincides with the second anniversary of the separatists’ declaration of an independent state of “Ambazonia” on 1 October 2017. Since then there has been mounting evidence of the security forces perpetrating widespread extrajudicial killings, as well as of armed separatists committing numerous human rights abuses and violations. At least 650 civilians, 235 members of the security forces, and an estimated 1,000 alleged separatists have reportedly been killed as a result of ongoing conflict. More than 530,000 people have been displaced and more than 170 Anglophone villages have been burned or destroyed by government forces.

All parties in Cameroon should work towards a negotiated political solution to the armed conflict in the north-west and south-west regions. The government of Cameroon should release political prisoners, ensure all its military operations are undertaken in strict compliance with international law, and initiate credible and inclusive peace talks, without preconditions. Armed separatists should immediately call a ceasefire and negotiate with the government. The international community, including the African Union and Economic Community of Central African States, must help mediate an end to the conflict and ensure accountability for potential mass atrocity crimes.

Source: Reliefweb

There have been sharp divisions at a national conference in Cameroon aimed at ending the three year separatist rebellion in the Anglophone regions of the country.

Some delegates came close to fighting each other as tempers boiled over at the conference in the capital, Yaounde, reports said yesterday.

Anglophone delegates are calling for varying degrees of autonomy with the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF), John Fru Ndi, wanting a return to the 1961 federal constitution which would allow self-governance for an English speaking region.

Francophone delegates are echoing President Paul Biya’s insistence that the form of the Cameroonian state is not up for discussion and this has angered the Anglophones. Biya has reportedly instructed his prime minister to announce the creation of 10 autonomous regions as the outcome of the so-called Grand National Dialogue.

Separatist leaders and armed groups are not even represented at this national dialogue so their frustrations are likely to deepen and the conflict will continue.

About 500,000 people have been displaced by the conflict.

Source: Sunnewsonline with additional editing from Camcordnews

Prime Minister Dion Ngute could soon get a sack as prime minister to make way for a Southern Cameroons new generation leader Minister Paul Elung, Cameroon Intelligence Report has gathered from a well-placed source in Yaoundé.

Ngute virtually represents nothing, following the numerous challenges on his management of the so-called Grand National Dialogue that came from prominent Southern Cameroonians who are still flirting with the Biya Francophone Beti Ewondo regime in Yaoundé.

Ngute’s advisers originally believed a dubious pattern in dishing out invitations to the dialogue would go a long way to enhance the prime minister’s political image and that Ambazonian leaders who hail from the Southern Zone would swiftly commit to the head of government’s agenda.

However, the people of Southern Cameroons and their Interim Government had other ideas which prompted the complete and total failure of the Yaoundé peace talks. “Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute (to use his three names is running out of road” our source added.

The ease with which delegates are picking up quarrels and threatening to fight is also presenting a problem for the prime minister, who does not even have a convincing message for the people attending the Yaoundé forum.  This means Prime Minister Dion Ngute ultimately have little choice but to resign.

However, pro Ngute comedians are saying he would take a different course this coming Friday and find some way to redirect the talks to meet national and international standards. But this is not what President Paul Biya anticipated when he announced the Grand National dialogue.

As a result of Prime Minister Ngute’s failure, French Cameroun CPDM barons including Biya are growing nervous and believe they may have to act first to prevent Ngute from speeding the collapse of the Biya regime. “A new Anglophone prime minister has to be Elung Paul” our informant further pointed out.

Some CPDM hardliners in Yaoundé now believe that the only surefire way to prevent Southern Cameroonians from breaking away from La Republique du Cameroun is to remove Ngute from office and replace him with a younger and more flexible Southern Cameroonian.

Under the new French Cameroun plan, Elung Paul as prime minister and head of government will appoint Barrister Agbor Balla, the former Chairman of the Ambazonia Restoration Council Mr.  Kumeta, former Ambazonia Acting President Sako Ikome into government with the sole purpose of diverting attention from the Southern Cameroons war and quest for independence.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

The week-long discussions to end fighting between government forces and militias in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions started on Monday, September 30, 2019, in the country’s centralized capital Yaoundé. However, citizens have lingering fears that the peace dialogues won’t put the crisis to rest.

Cameroon leader, Paul Biya, who has ruled the country since 1982, summoned the dialogue on September 10, to resolve a three-year-old insurgency. The conflict has led to the deaths of about 2,000 people and displaced more than 500,000 in Anglophone northwest and southwest regions, according to the United Nations.

Minority English-speaking Cameroonians feel marginalized by the Francophone majority, who say the French-speaking government promotes oppressive policies and laws. The protest movement, led mostly by teachers and lawyers, evolved into a militant separatist movement calling for the secession of English-speaking Cameroon

Netizen Batata Boris Karloff said on Twitter that the talks would “make or break the fractured country:”

Batata Boris Karloff@KarloffBatata

The much talked about Major #NationalDialogue begins in #Yaounde today.
The outcome of the five days talks would either make or break the break the fractured country

38:57 AM – Sep 30, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Batata Boris Karloff’s other Tweets

Separatist and opposition leaders waved aside

Nonetheless, the government-led talks have ignored separatist leader, Julius Ayuk Tabe, who, alongside other members, received a life sentence in jail in August this year.

Tabe heads a movement that is trying to form a breakaway state from mainland Cameroon, called Ambazonia, and movement leaders have openly shown disdain for the conference.

“No Ambazonian will take part in Biya’s charade,” Ayaba Cho, a leading separatist abroad, told Reuters.

Also, the leader of the Cameroon Renaissance Movement party, Maurice Kamto, who was arrested in January this year for orchestrating post-election protests, isn’t at the discussion table. His party has denied attendance until the government releases Kamto.

Vy on Twitter also shared doubts over the dialogues:

Vy@Vy_mbanwie

This is why #SouthernCameroons must be Free! #NationalDialogue of stupidity! “Wishes” NOT “Whishes”. We’ve had effort of the foolishness! @UN Divide this damn Country & #LetMyPeopleGo #ReleaseAbdulKarimAli #FreeAllArrested @UNHumanRights @hrw @CohenOnAfrica

Government-dictated dialogue

Many moderate Anglophones want constitutional changes, with a return to the federal system being key, but the Biya regime doesn’t have that on the agenda:

Instead, the Biya government created eight commissions as part of the peace dialogues that only focus on decentralization, a system put into place by Biya in 1996.

Former presidential hopeful, Akere Muna, who is attending the national dialogues, told Reuters on September 30: “It is farcical to not have a commission to discuss federalism, which is at the core of all of this.”

“It is farcical to not have a commission to discuss federalism, which is at the core of all of this.” — Akere Muna, politician, Cameroon

He further expressed his frustration at the government’s dictatorship of the event on Twitter:

“Sultan Mbombo Njoya (one of Cameroon’s ethnic rulers) calls for limitation on the Presidential term of office to 2x5years and two round Presidential election. The PM (Joseph Dion Ngute who is chairing the discussions) reminds us to stick to the agenda and not to go out of topic.”

For context, French and English Cameroon became one nation in 1961 under a federal system, where the latter had their own autonomy with their own police, government and judicial system. But federalism was abolished by President Biya’s predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo in 1972 – creating a united republic which the 86-year-old Biya has strengthened and centralized over the years.

Now, many want that era back, including a man named Martin, who works as a carpenter in Mutengene, a city along Cameroon’s western coast. He declined to give his last name fearing reprisal by government or separatists.

“I don’t see anything coming out of that meeting in Yaoundé. We talked about federalism but it’s not mentioned by [the] government. To me, it is a meeting of [Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement] CPDM supporters,” he told Global Voices on Sunday, September 29 in Buea, while attending a church service.

“I don’t see anything coming out of that meeting in Yaoundé. We talked about federalism but it’s not mentioned by [the] government. To me, it is a meeting of [Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement] CPDM supporters.” — Martin, Mutengene, Cameroon

For Relly Ebini, who works as a cameraman in Buea, a central Anglophone city, he strongly holds federalism will be the best thing out of the discussion.

“I want to believe the discussion will lean on federalism. That is what we Anglophones want and I believe it will put a stop to the crisis,” he told Global Voices on Sunday, September 29.

With so many people displaced, Martin hopes he will one day visit his village in the northwest region again:

“When the crisis started in 2016, I had not gone to my village. It’s been four years now, I haven’t been there because of the conflict,” he said.

Source: Global Voices

Cameroon President Paul Biya announced the National Dialogue earlier in September when he also called on all the Separatists in the South West and North West English-speaking regions to surrender and be forgiven. Nearly 3 000 people have died since 2017 in regions. This number includes 300 defence and security personnel. The violence has forced more than 500 000 people to flee their homes.

Separatists want international mediation

The National Dialogue being led by Cameroon’s Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute extends through Friday in the capital, Yaounde. Prime Minister Ngute asked the more than 1 000 delgates at the Yaounde conference centre Monday if they would want to make history by bringing peace or war.

The Separatists have refused to attend the talks, demanding that the government release their leader Julius Ayuk Tabe, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in August by a military tribunal that found him guilty of crimes including secession and hostilities against the state.

The rebel groups also say they would only agree to such negotiations if they take place in a foreign country with UN mediators and in the presence of world powers such as the United States, Britain, France and Germany.

In his national address at the beginning of September, President Biya denied any marginalisation of English-speaking regions, saying he has always appointed Cabinet ministers from the troubled areas.

English-speaking regions feel marginalised

On Monday, the prime minister said by solving issues of marginalisation, even without the presence of the separatists, many fighters would give up their struggle.

The violence first erupted in 2016 when teachers and lawyers protested against alleged discrimination at the hands of Cameroon’s French-speaking majority. English speakers make up 20 per cent of the country’s 24 million people and have long complained of being marginalised by the French-speaking majority.

The government responded with a crackdown that sparked an armed movement for an independent, English-speaking state called Ambazonia.

Source: Vatican News