Southern Cameroons: Security situation worsening ⁰

Daily life in Southern Cameroons today is defined by fear. Killings, armed confrontations between Ambazonia Restoration Forces and Cameroon government troops, kidnappings, enforced civil disobedience campaigns and arson have shutdown and disrupted education, healthcare and local economies.

The Southern Cameroons educational sectors have been particularly affected, denying a generation of children their right to learning.  Anglophone farmers are struggling to access their land amid worsening poverty and food insecurity. These realities underscore a grim truth: the people of Southern Cameroons are bearing the brunt of a conflict they did not choose.

The security situation in the two English speaking regions is deteriorating at catastrophic rapidity. Years after the Ambazonia crisis started, violence continues to escalate, civilian suffering is deepening, and prospects for a sustainable peace are slowly but surely vanishing. The Southern Cameroons resistance that was once framed as a temporary security challenge by the failed regime in Yaoundé has hardened into a protracted conflict with devastating human consequences.

Despite repeated assurances from the Biya Francophone Beti-Ewondo regime, the government’s security-heavy approach has failed to restore calm in Southern Cameroons. Militarization of the entire English speaking regions has not delivered peace; instead, it has intensified cycles of retaliation and mistrust. Allegations of abuses by all sides—combined with a lack of credible accountability—have further alienated communities and fueled resentment. When justice appears absent, violence finds fertile ground.

The Southern Cameroons situation is indeed a hydra headed one. While calls for genuine talks persist, meaningful engagement remains limited. Fragmentation among Southern Cameroons restoration groups and the actions of hardliners deep within the Francophone dominated political structure in Yaoundé have stalled progress. Yet history teaches us that conflicts rooted in governance, identity, and rights cannot be resolved by military power alone. Without a genuine political process that addresses long-standing grievances—language rights, local governance, and equitable development—the conflict will continue to metastasize.

The international community’s attention has waned, but the crisis has not. Humanitarian needs are rising as displacement grows and basic services collapse. Silence and fatigue are dangerous allies of prolonged conflict. Renewed diplomatic engagement, targeted humanitarian assistance, and support for mediation are urgently needed.

Southern Cameroons now stands at a crossroads. Continuing down the current path promises only more suffering and instability. A decisive shift toward dialogue, accountability, and inclusive reform is not a concession to violence—it is an investment in peace. The cost of delay is already painfully clear.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai