In Cameroon, the grievances of Anglophones are old and have not been taken into consideration for a long time. This is one of the reasons for the conflict that is dividing the country today.
From October 2017, Cameroon is in the grip of a deadly conflict. The origins of the conflict and the problem of two languages – French and English – go back to the colonization of this country by the French and British governments.
Today, this conflict opposes the Cameroonian army to the separatist forces of the two English-speaking regions of the North-West and South-West.
Between 1919 and 1961, these two regions, under British colonial administration, were known as British Southern Cameroons. After a plebiscite or a vote organized by the United Nations on February 11, 1961, their inhabitants opted for the " reunification with French Cameroon, October 1, 1961.
But, not everything went well after the unification of these two regions. Thus, the two English-speaking regions, which represent about 20% of the population, have repeatedly complained of discrimination and exclusion. In 2016, events organized throughout the year in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon have degenerated in civil war in 2017.
Almost five years later, the conflict continues to rage. According to recent estimates, it has already caused the death of more than 4 civilians and the displacement of more than 000 people inside the English-speaking regions. More than 1,3 million people need humanitarian aid.
President Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982, is determined to continue this futile war against separatist groups, which he describes as " terrorists ».
Unfortunately, so far there is no clear and credible agenda for negotiations, which makes peace and reconciliation more problematic. It is clear, however, that the grievances of Anglophones run deep and have gone unanswered for a long time.
As a political anthropologist who has long studied the situation of Anglophones in Cameroon, I see how elite and marginalized groups are defined on the basis of their language as the driving force behind this conflict.
Anglophone grievances
The immediate origins of the crisis can be traced back to the government's violent crackdown on protests by lawyers' and teachers' unions in 2016.
In October 2016, Anglophone teachers' and lawyers' unions organized peaceful protests against the "neglect" and "marginalization" of the two English-speaking regions. Population groups massively took part in the demonstrations which lasted a year. They were centered on the appointment of French-speaking teachers, prosecutors and judges in English-speaking regions. Union leaders denounced the appointments as part of a gradual but customary process of " francophonization " of State.
In French-speaking regions, such as Douala and Yaoundé, which host large English-speaking communities, French is often the only language that can be used to access essential public services. Disgruntled Anglophones railed against the chasm between the reality of being confined to the status of citizens of second zone and official claims that Cameroon is a bilingual state. The language barriers they face are proof of that.
English-speaking Cameroonians have long complained about the near total domination of public life by their French-speaking compatriots. The elites of this group would have used their power to marginalize Anglophone regions when allocating resources for economic development.
This chronic marginalization has led to calls for a separatist movement.
The Republic of Ambazonia
The separatists describe themselves as a movement for the "restoration" of the " Republic of Ambazonia ". The name Ambazonia – derived from Ambas Bay in the Gulf of Guinea. The invention of this name was assigned, in the mid-1980s to a dissident English-speaking lawyer, Fon Gorji Dinka.
Resentment of the authoritarian regime exercised by the country's predominantly French-speaking rulers is one of the main reasons for the call for separation launched by English speakers. And whenever Anglophone Cameroonians have protested, they have been heavily repressed. This first happened under the administration of Ahmadou Ahidjo (1960-1982), then under Paul Biya (from 1982).
Since 1990, protests in English-speaking regions have often been met with swift and deadly violent reaction. The same was true during the 2016-2017 protests. Unarmed protesters were slaughtered by soldiers. Detainees are also victims of violence.
Another major grievance of the Anglophone separatists relates to what they claim to be the "coloniality" of their union with the French state of Cameroon.
Anglophone nationalists call into question the plebiscite of February 11, 1961, imposed by the UN. They claim that by forcing British Cameroonians to choose between Nigeria and French Cameroons for independence, the UN's implementation of its own Article 76(b) decolonization provisions – concerning the accession to independence of the former Trust Territories, was rigged. The choices proposed by this organization to decide in favor of French Cameroon or Nigeria did not take into account the aspirations and desires of the people to become autonomous, thus contravening the fundamental provisions of its decolonization framework.
As a result, Anglophone Cameroonians claim that the Francophone majority views and treats the two Anglophone regions as a colonial outgrowth. And that this region and the people who live there are not an integral part of Cameroon.
A difficult road to peace
The road to peace will be difficult.
To achieve peace while maintaining the unity of the country, some separatists advocate a "return" to the initial agreement of 1961, namely a two-state federation. These Federalists were in the majority among Anglophones before the start of the 2016 conflict. However, after almost five years of heavy fighting, some Federalists have felt more disoriented by abuses regime forces in war zones.
Radical separatists – like Chris Anu of the Ambazonia Interim Government, Ayaba Cho Lucas and Ivo Tapang of the Ambazonia Governing Council – exacting pure and simple independence. They believe this is the only way for English-speaking Cameroonians to free themselves from French-speaking domination and avoid future crises.
This divide between federalists and separatists complicated possible dialogue and peaceful negotiations.
To make matters worse, Biya and his government rejected any discussion with the separatists which would imply a loss of power by the central power.
In addition, the violent repression of Anglophone protests in 2016-2017 had two important consequences: the dominant elite or Anglophone establishment is afraid to speak out, and Anglophone youth have become further radicalized and increasingly enjoy support. Anglophone Cameroonians in the Diaspora.
I think the only solution to this crisis is autonomy for the two English-speaking regions. The exact form of this autonomy should be the subject of a long and carefully negotiated agreement between the various parties involved. And, whatever this agreement is, it should be subject to the will of the people of these two regions of the former Southern Cameroons.
However, obtaining this autonomy will not be easy given the strong reluctance of the French-speaking elites of Yaoundé to concede a change in the form of the state. Moreover, the increasingly authoritarian attitude of the regime in place raises fears of violent repression within the voices of dissidents which are raised in the country. And political institutions have little or no capacity to take steps towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
For measures in favor of autonomy to be taken, it would take pressure from outside, in particular from the Anglophone Cameroonian diaspora, the international media, human rights organizations and major Western powers such as the United States and the European Union.
Rogers Orock, Lecturer in Anthropology, University of the Witwatersrand
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read theoriginal article.