Cameroon sits out of widespread adherence to UN ceasefire deal

Some 170 signatories have signed a UN memo to uphold a ceasefire in a bid to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Made up of UN member States, observers and others, they have supported the call to silence the guns – to permit medical and humanitarian workers do their job.

Cameroon that has been plagued by a war for four years unfortunately will not see fighting ending so soon. The government that has been trading blames with separatist fighters failed to sign the memo despite earlier goodwill shown by non-state armed groups earlier.

In addition to turning down calls for a ceasefire, government does not seem to have plans to end the chaos in the English-speaking regions anytime soon.

“National Dialogue took place in 2019 and we have taken action after the dialogue. We cannot stop war with those who murder, rape, decapitate, orchestrate terror and even bury people alive,” the Higher Education Minister, Jacques Fame Ndongo who doubles as CPDM Communication Director said on Radio France International, RFI today.

Weeks back, the Cameroon government and separatist fighters ignored a call from some Nobel Prize laureates and former Heads of State for a ceasefire.

Noting that the conflict had been neglected, Dr. Simon Adams, Executive Director of The Global Centre, one of the signatories said: “While people in West Africa and in Cameroon are very aware of the suffering and hardship that has been endured for such a long time. It’s to the discredit of the United Nations Security Council that it has not formally addressed the conflict there and it has not been covered widely in the media”.

“We signed the declaration because we want to see more international attention brought to what is one of the most devastating conflicts affecting Western Africa at the moment,” he added.

Over three thousand have lost their lives from the close to four year long war that seems to have no end in sight.

Cameroon remains the country with the most COVID-19 cases in the CEMAC region.