‘Little hopes’ in Buea as President Biya set to deliver End of Year address

Days ago, Cameroon’s President Paul Biya and wife Chantal dispatched a 100 truckloads of aid for IDPs in the North West and South West regions plagued by armed conflict.

Prior to the move, Territorial Administration Minister, Atanga Nji made a series of declarations, noting that there’s no humanitarian crisis in the regions.

Coming few hours to President Paul Biya’s expected traditional end of year message to the nation, many say the minister’s declarations are a reflection of the state’s refusal to adequately solve its issues and that they expect little or nothing new at all from the speech.

According to Tiku Ransome, a Buea-based engineer, nothing will change. “He [President Biya] will still reiterate the fact that the country remains one and indivisible though it is not the wish of all the people”.
To him, the head of state “won’t say what Anglophones want to hear like the release of prisoners. Even the special status he granted will not be delved into deeply in his message”.

A similar opinion is held by Mama Regina, trader at the Muea market who says she believes the regime as a whole is still not ready to bring an end to the plight of the Anglophones.
“The constant arrest and killing of our sons every day is too much. We want it to end but I know Paul Biya as usual will not accept”.
To her, “nothing he says will ever matter till he fixes the problem he and his ministers have caused”.

Since the Anglophone crisis in 2016, many have criticized President Biya’s end of year speeches for not hitting the point, allegations regime apologists have always refuted.

With the speech coming up in just a few hours, some social media users say they expect it to contain ‘little or nothing new’. Others say it is time for him to finally take a series of actions to bring the crisis to an end, including calling for a cease fire, releasing persons being detained in connection with the crisis and even setting the pace for ideal reconciliation with separatists.

While many expected similar declarations last year, the president on the contrary stressed on the need for separatists to drop their weapons or be neutralised. “The situation cannot be allowed to continue” he had said.