Anglophone Crisis: U.S. Diplomat Holds Firm On International Community’s Role To End Anglophone Secessionist War

Erstwhile U.S. assistant secretary for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy has agreed, as postulated by members of the Biya regime that the solution to the five-year-long secessionist war in Southern Cameroon must stem from within the belligerents, but says it must simultaneously go with pressure from the international community.

He was speaking in an interview on BBC Focus on Africa yesterday, 10th January 2022, where the Diplomat, noted that allowing the solution solely at the mercy of the Biya government would only provide baseless solutions.

“Actually, the answer to the fact that the solution should come from within, and from international pressure, is yes and yes. The final resolution must definitely come from within the parties, but there must be intense pressure from the international community, else the Biya regime will just go through a process with no clear outcomes.”

The Hungarian-born furthers that Cameroonians need to fix their positions with regards to the conflict, given that both the central government is divided on what to do, and likewise, the separatists are divided on how to forge ahead.

According to him, “Anglophones are, without doubt, considered second-class citizens in Cameroon, with backings that Cameroon has a president of over 38 to 40 years in power, ruling a supposed bilingual country, but does not speak English. Can you imagine the Canadian prime minister not speaking French?” He asked.

The former U.S. statesman regrets that when the struggle began and Anglophones aired their grievances, the support for a separate Ambazonian State was a minority point of view.

However, as time went on more Anglophones toed the line of sovereignty.

Adding that if the government continues seeking to crush the struggle militarily, then Cameroon will end up like South Vietnam.

“If the Biya regimes push too hard on Southern Cameroonians, the originally known one Cameroon will become two Cameroon, one Ambazonia and the other French Cameroon.

In regards to the Cameroon government’s accusation on NGOs, the U.S statesman reveals that any human offering assistance to victims of a crisis, quoting the example of a rape victim, he says will trigger sympathy from the NGOs as a victim, not with the political ideology of the victim.

“These criticisms against NGOs from the government of Cameroon is not new, because it is normal from governments in years past,” he said.

In the same interview, Ambassador Nagy reiterated the Anglophone crisis is a forgotten crisis because, at the level of the international community, the leaders base their attention more on Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Taiwan, and others, neglecting Cameroon.
Adding that France, which is critically tied to the ongoing conflict in Cameroon, is very ambivalent about wanting to do anything with Cameroon.

“The conflict needs more attention, but I cannot guarantee if they will get it,” Nagy concluded.

On his part, The Post Newspaper Yaounde bureau chief, Kini Yerima, still on BBC broadcast, termed the crisis “An anti-people crisis” and the worst of its kind, ever witnessed in the world, because both combating camps claim to be fighting for the people, yet the people suffer the brunt more.

While regretting the many civilian deaths and likewise journalists arrested, tortured, and killed for reporting the crisis, he highlights that the crisis would have been solved over what he called ‘a a fireside chat’.

The journalist reveals that media men and women in Cameroon are seemingly enemies to one end of the divide or another of the conflict, receiving little or no information from the warring parties to elaborate on their reports.


Mimi Mefo Info