Editorial: Conflict in Kousseri: Are Anglophone Lives In Cameroon Worthless?

Cameroon’s Head Of State, President Biya Paul, recently, dispatched a delegation, to ascertain the root causes and propound solutions to the conflict between breeders and fishermen, in the Logone and Chari Division, Far-North region of Cameroon.

Contrary to this action of his to Francophones in the Far-North region, who have witnessed minute deaths in the said conflict than Southern Cameroonians, President Biya Paul has vehemently rejected national and international calls to resolve the root causes of the Anglophone Secessionist war that has, and still consumes lives and properties of Southern Cameroonians almost every day, women and children inclusive.

While noting that humanitarian reliefs are heading to Kousseri, the release signed by the Minister of Communication, Emmanuel Rene Sadi, noted that the lead actor of the delegation mandated to resolve the conflict is the Minister of Territorial Administration, Atanga Nji, an Anglophone, one of those who earlier debunked the existence of an Anglophone problem, today a war.

This initiative to settle a communal clash of December 8th 2021 in the Logone and Chari after ascertaining the root causes, has got many Anglophones wondering. Are our own lives in this nation meaningless? If not, why haven’t they decided to solve ours from the root causes too?

While regarding the incident as ‘ Urgent’, according to the communique, the clashes led to the loss of lives, properties, and displaced population, a situation which has been normalized in Anglophone Cameroon, with the latest death toll standing at over 4000 persons while displaced persons to neighboring Nigeria stands at over 70, 000, from the latest UNHCR records, with other thousands, internally displaced.

The Ambazonia Separatist war has persisted for five years, with barely a few weeks to encroachment into its sixth year, 2022, The Cameroon government rather than addressing the root problem, resolved to shuffle down Anglophone’s throats, the yet to be understood content of, and seemingly unwanted Special Status decision of the 2019 major national dialogue.

After the Mbengwi road incident of wanton killings and burning amongst many, Separatists activists issued an audio recording, seemingly ordering Ambazonian Restoration Forces, to target Francophone communities bordering with the Anglophone regions, in retaliation for the unnecessary act perpetrated by the Cameroonian army on the civilian population.

The question that remains unclear is: Does The Cameroon government want Separatists to Invade its most cherished Francophone population before they see killings as painful?

Does The International Community Care Less For Southern Cameroonians?

After five years, The international community is yet to indulge in concrete measures to end the sufferings, Human Rights violations, and continuous deaths, brought about by the Ambazonian war on Southern Cameroonians, like in other conflicting African nations.

In a release dated December 13th, 2021, some 17 members States of The European Union (EU) and 35 observers nations, have requested a special Session in regards to The Ethiopian-Tigryan conflict. An undoubted move will greatly contribute to the resolution of the conflict.

The said Session is according to the document, scheduled for December 17th, 2021, aimed at addressing the Human Rights situation of a year old, contrary to the degree of international actions to the five-year-old Ambazonian war.

Why is the Southern Cameroonians case different?