Beginning this week, the President of the Republic of Cameroon Paul Biya – who has been in power since 1982 – has convened a “major national dialogue” to be held in the nation’s capital. The so-called dialogue will focus on the crisis presently facing the North-West and South-West Regions of Cameroon. The process, the topics under discussion, the chosen participants and the mediators were all chosen unilaterally by the Biya government with no input from the Anglophone community or respected civic actors.
The Biya government has, for decades now, ignored the myriad calls by Anglophones for a return to the federal configuration, which was agreed to when these two independent territories first united. Over time, the government’s blatant disregard for the plight of Anglophones has lent credence to the rising voices who have advocated for independence, which is now seen by a majority of Anglophones as the only viable option in the face of a government which, still today, is insensitive to their plight.
Cameroon’s worsening humanitarian crisis is now threatening over four million people, and this week’s “national dialogue” will most certainly deepen already entrenched divides.
After 650,000 people have been displaced, 50,000 refugees in Nigeria, 3,000 dead, over 200 villages burned, close to 1 million children denied school, and many other citizens maimed, it is clear that the Biya government simply does not get it. Instead of proposing real solutions, and engaging in genuine, thoughtful dialogue with aggrieved parties, it is instead engaging in a sham to appease misinformed onlookers and regional leaders who could not care less for the ongoing plight of our people.
Crucially, the government continues to ignore the fact that nothing less than a well-negotiated and planned return to Cameroon’s original federal system can save the union from further violence and disintegration. Cameroon’s international partners, donor agencies and a range of local stakeholders also agree.
In January 2003, jurist Kevin Gunme and several others filed a complaint with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the continent’s highest legal body, against the Republic of Cameroon. The complaints fell into two basic groups: one which focused on the marginalization of Anglophones, and the other affirmed the Anglophones as a people with the right to self-determination. Six years later, among the recommendations made by the ACHPR to the Government of Cameroon included:
Abolish all discriminatory practices against the people of Northwest and Southwest Cameroon, including equal usage of the English language in business
Stop the transfer of accused persons from the Anglophone provinces for trial in the Francophone provinces;
Ensure that every person facing criminal charges be tried under the language he/she understands.
Identify national projects, equitably throughout the country, in accordance with economic viability and regional balance;
Enter into constructive dialogue to resolve the constitutional issues, as well as grievances which could threaten national unity;
The ACHPR even offered to mediate the crisis, still in its infancy. Sixteen years have now passed. Yet another example of a lost opportunity for peace. Yet another chance largely ignored by the Biya government.
Many are those who saw the call for a national dialogue – back in 2003 and since that time – as an occasion to hit the reset button and give Cameroon a realistic shot at a better and more peaceful future. The path chosen to date by the Biya government only confirms the fact that the country is completely captured by a select few oligarchs whose only concern is to protect their personal interests, and hopefully manage the eventual succession of an aging president who has already ruled Cameroon for 37 years.
Akere Muna is currently a member of the African Union High-level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa, chaired by H.E. Thabo Mbeki. Mr. Muna is formerly President of the Cameroon Bar Association and the Pan-African Lawyers Union. He is most recently the Founder of the NOW! Movement, a non-partisan organization in Cameroon that seeks to advance social change through dialogue and community engagement.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of Vanguard Africa or the Vanguard Africa Foundation.