The Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiation, (CDN) a US-based international organization created to seek a peaceful end to the armed conflict Cameroon’s North West and South West regions, appears to be in conflict itself.
A second high ranking official of the structure, Dr Julius A. Agbor has announced his resignation from the steering committee and membership of the coalition in general.
The tenured full professor of Economics & Finance at the Vanguard University of Southern California, USA in his December 28, 2021 resignation letter said he was leaving due to internal differences.
“… due to increasingly inherent internal challenges within the CDN polity which potentially impedes CDN’s role as a trusted facilitator in this conflict,” Dr Julius A. Agbor said of his resignation.
A portion of the document announcing his resignation went on to state: “I have come to the realization that my talents and resources would better serve the Southern Cameroonian people through other channels external to CDN”.
Dr Agbor has not specified what the ‘internal challenges’ are.
But he said “it was a tough decision but I can assure you that I did factor in the best interests of Southern Cameroonians into it.”
His resignation, he added, does not signify his fight for an end to the armed conflict in Cameroon’s English speaking regions.
He has pledged to
“… continue deploying every available channel and resources to ensure the voices of all those caught in the crossfire of this conflict are heard, and justice and freedom is rendered to their cause”.
“Over the past two years since I joined CDN, we have worked collaboratively as a team in advocating for a just end to the sufferings of millions of Southern Cameroonians––victims of the four-year long armed conflict––through internationally mediated settlement that addresses the root cause (s) of the conflict. Today, I can say we have made great strides towards that goal, thanks to collaborative work and optimization of our individual skillsets and resources,” he remarked.
Dr Agbor’s resignation has raised more concerns over alleged internal squabbles in the CDN. This is as it comes just days after the resignation of a other top ranking member, Dr Denis Foretia.
The now former CDN Co-Chair announcing his resignation said he was stepping down “with a very heavy heart”.
“As one of the main founders this is particularly difficult to do but with new personal challenges it was the only thing to do,” he said.
Among the coalition’s most recent actions, was the Toronto session weeks back where it pulled together multiple stakeholders to the ongoing armed conflict in the North West and South West regions.
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Another Coalition for Dialogue and Negotiations member resigns, casts doubts on CDN’s ability to mediate Anglophone Conflict
