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