Yaounde: Delegates clash at National Dialogue, Biya shows knack for 10 autonomous regions ⁰

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