Cameroon: New coalition to unite federalists in quest to end Anglophone Crisis

The Coalition of Cameroon Federalist Groups and Activists (CCFGA) has urged others to join their bid for a solution to end the war in the country’s North West and South West Region.

At a virtual press conference, Simon Munzu, former United Nations Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire – speaking on behalf of the coalitions said its primary goal is the re-establishment of Federalism as the system of government.

“Every war,” he explained, “comes with an array of devastating consequences for innocent civilians. Those who are killed, those who are maimed, and those who are wounded. Men, women, and children are forced into conditions of internal displacement. Others flee and take refuge in foreign lands. Property is destroyed on a large scale. Livelihoods are lost. Society is destabilized and social relationships are disrupted.”

These, he said, have been the hallmarks of the Anglophone Crisis. The armed conflict that has cost thousands of lives, he said, should like others, be brought to an end through a negotiated peace settlement in which dialogue prevails over violence.

To him, “separation cannot be the outcome of such a settlement.”

“By contrast, a negotiated settlement is sure to result in the adoption of Federalism. By nature, Federalism is the highest level of decentralized governance. It is the point at which tolerance, mutual respect, fair play, solidarity and cohesion in our society meet,” Munzu said, adding “Federalism offers the best prospect of instituting in Cameroon a form of democratic governance suitable for overcoming our nation’s governance, institutional, socio-political, and economic development challenges. It is driven by the ideals of the rule of law rather than the autocratic rule, citizen participation rather than the alienation of citizens, and consensus-building rather than intimidation and imposition.”

The time, the diplomat said, “… has come for these groups, initiatives, and individuals to unite their strengths, forge a more powerful force and sustain their resolve to move towards their common goal… This is the leitmotif of the Coalition of Cameroon Federalist Groups and Activists (CCFGA). We are committed to building a Common Platform for the Push to Re-establish Federalism in Cameroon.”

“… consistent with our preference of the force of argument over the argument of force,” the coalition, he said, envisages “… the creation of a tolerant environment in which federalists engage in informative and constructive debate on the affairs of our country with people who hold differing opinions.”

At the conceptual phase, the coalitions, Munzu revealed, are made up of a working group of nine.

“Several federalist groups in Cameroon and the diaspora have already indicated their willingness to join the Coalition and are completing the formalities for doing so. Hundreds of individual federalist activists have done the same,” he went on, indicating the willingness to welcome anyone ready to partake in the movement.