One person later died in captivity. Cameroon goes to the polls. The private company Telcar Cocoa reported that the cocoa production had fallen 80 percent. [78] The separatists began to target traditional village chiefs, as well as local administrators whom they accused of siding with the security forces. Teachers, lawyers, and students began to protest the use of French in courtrooms and schools. The secessionist movement is riven by ethnic rivalries, lacking overall military and political leadership. [134] Interim President Sako of Ambazonia said that the separatists would switch from a defensive to an offensive strategy in the war, and announced that a Mobile Wing Police would be created to capture territory and defeat government militias. Separatist fighters who had vowed to disrupt 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in the city said on social media they were responsible for the blast and stated that it was "a warning sign of what they will do during AFCON". In the first half of 2021, attacks and raids by the Islamist armed group Boko Haram increased in the Far North Region,with at least 80 civilians killed. Numerically and materially disadvantaged, the separatists carry out hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and raids. . [75] Samuel Ikome Sako was announced as Acting President on 4 February, replacing Tabe for the time being. [273] On 22 September, Cameroonian soldiers killed six civilians in Buea, allegedly for not showing them the locations of separatist hideouts. After World War I, Cameroon passed from being subjugated by Germany to being held a colony of both France and the UK. Understanding the internal conflict in Cameroon: a question of October 2016: Anglophone Cameroonians launch wildcat strikes, demanding equality. "The government has done a lot, but I will say it's not enough to end the crisis," Tum said. Share this via Printer. [402] In July 2018, Cameroonian NGO Human Is Right reported that the war had caused a 70 percent increase in unemployment in the agricultural sector. A year later, a referendum was held in British-ruled Cameroon over whether to join the newly independent Cameroon or Nigeria. Anglophone Cameroon: From crisis to chaos - DW - 10/01/2021 He also warns that separatists should not feel as though they are immune to justice. [182] Midnight to 31 July, the ten detained members of the IG, including Ayuk Tabe, went on a hunger strike over the missing convicts. This began to yield visible results in the first half of 2019. Humanitarian access is severely restricted and humanitarian workers have been victims of attacks by bothgovernment forcesand groups separatist armed groups. According to the United Nations, 700,000 students were out of school in March 2021 as a result of the crisis. Sisiku Julius Ayuk Tabe and Ayaba Cho Lucas both opposed them, and the Cameroonian Government did not buy into the talks either, rendering them ineffective. [170] On 27 June, John Fru Ndi was kidnapped for the second time in two months. [26], The United Nations organised a plebiscite in the region on 11 February 1961 which put two alternatives to the people: union with Nigeria or union with Cameroon. March 2020: Amid the COVID pandemic, the separatist militant group Southern Cameroon Defense Forces declares a cease-fire from March 29, 2020, following a call by the UN secretary-general. [93], The conflict has triggered an exodus of the Nigerian business community from Southern Cameroons, as well as Nigerian traders who used to run key markets. A separatist militia called the "Fako Action Forces" claimed responsibility. [400] As of May 2019, 530,000 people had been internally displaced, and 35,000 had fled to Nigeria. [20] These talks ultimately failed, and fighting continued. On June 7, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced visa restrictions on individuals who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in,undermining the peaceful resolution of the crisis in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon and condemned human rights violations and abuses, and threats against advocates for peace or humanitarian workers.. Elections were held in 1954 and the parliament met on 1 October 1954, with E. M. L. Endeley as Premier. [7] In addition, at least 250 ethnic Mbororos had been killed as of July 2020, counting both civilians and pro-Cameroonian militants. [308] The ADF offered to train IPOB militants at camps in Ambazonian-controlled territory. [253], By the end of June, The Africa Report reported that Cameroon had largely pushed the separatists out of Buea (although they later clashed with the army there in early-July[254]), where there had been much fighting back in 2018. With Autocrats on the Defensive, Can Democrats Rise to the Occasion? One Cameroonian soldier was killed during the same incident, and the operation was described as "bloody", although the other separatist fighters at the base were reported to have escaped. Originally, the cycle of conflict was repetitive: a radical separatist would incite an attack on the Francophone military, and the military would respond by going after the separatists in a frenzy. The government limited the ability of the political opposition to function freely. In November, the European Parliament adopted a resolution deploring human rights abuses in Cameroon and urging the European Union to step up action to address them. This was followed by a signature referendum the same year, which the organisers claim produced a 99% vote in favour of independence with 315,000 people voting. The Ambazonians, who claimed that 98 percent of the population boycotted the election, hailed this as a great victory. [306], On 9 April, the AGovC formally allied itself with the Indigenous People of Biafra, led by Nnamdi Kanu. World Report 2022: Cameroon | Human Rights Watch Cameroon: North-West and South-West Crisis Situation Report No. 2 - As They also continued their attacks against education. [143] On 4 February, in anticipation of Youth Day on 11 February, separatists declared a 10-day lockdown, telling people all across the Anglophone regions to stay at home from 514 February. Defense lawyers said the trial was marred by serious procedural irregularities, starting with the use of military courts to try civilians, and including that the entire prosecution case was based on statements from alleged witnesses, none of whom were brought to court to be examined on their statements. [296] On 24 February, at least two soldiers were killed and at least another five were wounded[297] in a separatist ambush in Kumbo with IEDs followed by gunfire. [15] Thousands of people have been killed in the war, and more than half a million have been forced to flee their homes. [366] In September 2021, following an ambush in which 15 soldiers were killed and two armored vehicles destroyed, Cameroon's Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo announced a "paradigm shift" in the war. [6] In June 2019, UNICEF said that 1.3 million people in the Anglophone regions needed humanitarian aid. 2007:33). Local separatist fighters had consented to the funeral taking place, provided that no Francophone Cameroonians attended it. Some were subjected to forced anal examinations. [197], On 1 December, separatist fighters carried out their first attack on an airplane, firing at a Camair-Co passenger plane while it was landing at Bamenda Airport. The Cameroonian military said that several civilians were killed or abducted, while some military vehicles were also destroyed. [271] Cameroonian soldiers summarily executed two people on 14 September,[272] and another five civilians days later. Our men aren't familiar with the forest." [263] Taking steps to stop the separatists from producing their own weapons, the authorities banned the sale of machetes and iron rods in the Anglophone regions. Throughout the day, at least eight demonstrators were killed in Buea and Bamenda. The protesters were now openly regarded as a security threat by the Cameroonian government, and more arrests followed. [110], By October, the conflict had spread to most of Southern Cameroons. [187] This was followed by a military escalation and a series of lockdowns, crushing hopes that the school year could start as normal in early September. [281] In total, three Cameroonian soldiers and at least 12 separatists died during the three-day offensive. [183], On 4 August, separatist fighters ambushed and killed a soldier and his civilian driver in Penda Mboko, Littoral Region, the second attack there since March. [161] On 24 April, gunmen burned down the house of the mayor of Fundong. [248], In June, Cameroon planned to start rebuilding the Anglophone regions with the support of the UNDP. According to the National Anti-Corruption Commission's (CONAC) most recent report, the country saw 375 billion CFA francs returned to its coffers. "[93], Retired American diplomat Herman Jay Cohen has argued that Cameroon's military approach to the conflict plays straight into the strategy of the separatists. [111] On 7 October, the day of the Cameroonian presidential election, there were clashes all over Southern Cameroons with both sides blaming the other; the Cameroonian government claimed that separatists moved to prevent what they considered a foreign election to take place in the Anglophone regions,[112] while the separatists blamed the government for instigating the violence. The faction of the movement aligned with Samuel Ikome Sako has continued to insist that the talks facilitated by Switzerland are the only means of resolving the conflict. In 2021, more than 700,000 children are deprived of education in the north-west and south-west regions.". [32] Shortly afterwards, French Cameroun's political leadership changed the constitution again, appointed French-speaking Paul Biya as Prime Minister and successor to Ahmadou Ahidjo. The trial is being held before a military court in Yaound, about 380 kilometers from Ngarbuh, making it difficult for family members of victims to attend. Germany had some trouble establishing control over the hinterlands of Victoria, and fought the Bafut Wars against local fondoms until 1907. [89] On 20 May, in an effort to boycott celebrations of Cameroon's National Day, Ambazonian forces struck in several villages throughout Southern Cameroons, including Konye, Batibo and Ekona,[90] and abducted the mayor of the town of Bangem. 5 facts about Cameroon's three crises | NRC In a memorandum dated 20 March 1985, Anglophone lawyer and President of the Cameroon Bar Association Fongum Gorji Dinka wrote that the Cameroonian government led by Paul Biya was unconstitutional and announced the former Southern Cameroons should become independent as the Republic of Ambazonia. [138], 2019 started off with further escalation of the war. On February 27, armed separatists kidnapped a medical doctor in Bali, North-West region and threatened to kill him before releasing him the same day after a ransom payment. Other ways to share Here are five things you should know about Cameroon's crises: 1. [95] By now, the war had fully extended to Buea, with separatists mounting road blocks and attacking government soldiers on 29 June. Facing mounting international pressure for a global ceasefire, in July 2020 Cameroon began negotiating with these imprisoned leaders. The government continued to restrict freedom of expression and association, while the state-sanctioned persecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people intensified. As of October 2018, five such incidents had been reported, though these attacks were for the most part not lethal; one civilian death was attributed to an ADF attack. Mundum and Mamfe. Here are five things you should know about Cameroon's three crises: 1. [44] The strikes were supported by peaceful protests in the cities of Bamenda, Buea and Limbe. DeLancey, Mark W., and Mark Dike DeLancey (2000): Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999). On 11 November, according to the separatists, 13 Cameroonian soldiers and two separatists were killed when separatists carried out a successful ambush. The minister also announced a plan to rebuild infrastructure that had been destroyed due to the conflict. The UN says a humanitarian catastrophe is on the horizon but the key players aren't willing to compromise. Share this via WhatsApp [280] Two days later, it was revealed that Cameroonian forces had killed "General Ayeke", commander of the "Gorilla Fighters" militia, in Besali, Wabane, Lebialem. This territory was organized as British Cameroons. [210] The results in 11 constituencies were later nullified due to separatist activities, triggering a partial re-election in March. Felix Agbor Nkongho, a human rights lawyerwho was a leading member of thenow-outlawed Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium (CACSC), has been disheartened by the ongoing crisis. Iam one of those who believes dialogue should never stop.". [305] In Ekona, the Fako Mountain Lions carried out three IED attacks against the Cameroonian army, and three civilians were killed in the subsequent gunfights. Drawing parallels to the Eritrean War of Independence, he has claimed that the growing bitterness resulting from prolonged warfare will only serve to close the window of opportunity where reconciliation and territorial integrity is still an option, thereby ironically increasing the likelihood of Ambazonian secession. The Cameroonian Army declared that they knew which base the attackers had come from, and that an operation would be launched to destroy it. Nevertheless, the trial resumed. [60], Throughout November, eight soldiers, at least 14 civilians and five fugitives were confirmed killed due to the conflict. [158], On 14 April, four Cameroonian soldiers and three separatist fighters were killed in Bali. In 1953, the Southern Cameroons delegation at a conference in London asked for a separate region. The activists demanded protection of the law system of the Anglophone regions and opposed the civil law system used by the Francophone magistrate replacing the common law system. Today, the conflict is between. [14] According to an International Crisis Group analyst, by October the war had reached a stalemate, with the army being unable to defeat the separatists, while the separatists were not militarily strong enough to expel the army. The lawyers submitted a draft for a federal state, and the government responded by banning their movements altogether. [315], In mid-May, separatists launched an offensive in Bui against the Cameroonian Army, which in turn retaliated by burning down civilian homes in several villages. However, little is known about the impact of the ongoing civil strife on the immunisation system in the Northwest (NW) and Southwest (SW) regions of Cameroon, which erupted in late 2016. [203], Separatist forces started the new year by declaring a five-day lockdown for February, intended to prevent the upcoming parliamentary election from taking place in the Anglophone regions. "The most important part is the economic sabotage," said Ndong. In Mali, maternal mortality rates are among the highest in the world and malaria is a leading cause of death, disproportionately affecting young children and pregnant women. Cameroon - Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect [31] They argued that Southern Cameroons had effectively been annexed by Cameroon. So far, at least 400 civilians and 160 state security officers have been killed in the conflict between the government and an armed separatist movement that, just two short years ago, started as a peaceful strike of lawyers and . [52] Many separatists and federalists hoped that the crackdown would lead to an international military intervention against the Cameroonian government. He blames Yaounde for escalating the situation. November 2016: The central government first remains silent on the situation, then suppresses the Anglophone protest movement. Several months into the war, the IG would reject the idea of an armed struggle, preferring instead a diplomatic campaign and civil disobedience. [288], In an end-of-year speech, Samuel Ikome Sako of the Interim Government of Ambazonia declared that an All Ambazonia Constitutional Draft Conference would be held during 2021, and that Northeast and Southwest Region would be reorganized into Equatorial Zone, Midland Zone and Savanna Zone. [376], Both sides have used WhatsApp to spread propaganda. Although Cameroon is not formally on the agenda of the UN Security Council, council members discuss the country during periodic sessions on the work of the UN Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA). [215] Cameroon subsequently carried out an offensive in Ngo-Ketunjia, where it claimed to have destroyed 10 separatist camps and killed at least 20 fighters, including some of those who had participated in the Galim raid. Langaa RPCIG. Cameroon's central government has been working to supplant the region's British-style legal and education system with the French model. Nigeria Home Geography & Travel Countries of the World Bakassi Peninsula dispute Obasanjo was also faced with resolving an ongoing border dispute with neighbouring Cameroon that included the question of which country had rights to the Bakassi Peninsula, an oil-rich area to which both countries had strong cultural ties. Trouble in the Far North. December 2, 2021, 3:35 PM On Nov. 12, riots broke out in the city of Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon's Northwest region, in response to the killing of 8-year-old Brandy Tataw by a stray bullet. One anonymous hostage said that they had been maltreated. [226] Towards the end of the month, Cameroon initiated Operation Free Bafut, a series of raids in and around Bafut that aimed at completely rooting out separatist presence in the area. On 5 May, following appeals by the European Union Parliament, it was announced that the Anglophone Crisis would be debated at the United Nations Security Council. On May 11, a Cameroonian courtsentenced Shakiro and Patricia, two transgender women,to five years in prison and fines of 200,000 CFA (US$370) for alleged same-sex relations. 126 (10 October 2018): Afghanistan, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kumbo Diocese Documents 385 Deaths In 7 Months, Cameroons Anglophone Dialogue: A Work in Progress, Cameroon: The tense relationship between Fulani and anglophones, "Cameroon separatists claim to have abducted missing soldier", Geneva Palais briefing note on the situation for children in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon, Cameroon: Anglophone crisis could cost 5,000 jobs, Cameroons palm oil, cocoa sectors worst hit by crisis, Cameroon Says Conflict Destroying Anglophone Regions' Economies, Cameroons Nigerian business community is fleeing as the Anglophone crisis deepens, Cameroon crisis threatens wildlife as thousands flee to protected areas, Cameroons Defence minister says "terrorists" will not be freed, Political Infighting Could Obstruct a Nascent Peace Process in Cameroon, No elections in Cameroon if Anglophone crisis persists, SDF warns Biya, Cameroon: SDF suspects Biya regime of sponsoring Ambazonia fighters, Cameroon: SDF to boycott 20 May celebrations, Cameroon: Maurice Kamto announces nationwide protests on 26 January, Protesters invade Cameroon embassies abroad, Cameroon: Kamto plans to launch gigantic campaign to oust Paul Biya if he convenes electorate without resolving Anglophone crisis, Cameroon: Kah Walla rubbishes separatist threats, insists Federation can solve Anglophone crisis, African Union Intervenes In Cameroon Crisis, Arria-Formula Meeting of the UN Security Council. [39] The leadership and many members of the SCNC were subsequently arrested. On 22 July, separatist inmates at Kondengui Central Prison took part in staging a protest against the prison conditions. [21], The name "Ambazonia" is taken from Ambas Bay and Ambozes, the local name of the mouth of the Wouri River. The British agreed, and Southern Cameroons became an autonomous region with its capital still at Buea. [124] On 22 November, around 40 Ambazonian fighters and unarmed civilians were killed in Bali by government soldiers, who then set their corpses on fire. [121] November also saw several major confrontations. [415], The Anglophone Crisis has become a diplomatic challenge to Cameroon, and has damaged the country's relations with some of its allies. Talks are planned from September 30 until October 4. In December 2020, the Cameroonian authorities suspended all activities of MdecinsSansFrontires(MSF, Doctors Without Borders) in the North-West region, accusing the organization ofbeing too close to Anglophone separatists. The ADF claimed that two Cameroonian soldiers were also killed. History explains why Cameroon is at war with itself over language and culture. Thepresumed death in May of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, in a confrontation in Nigeria with the splinter faction Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), helped consolidate ISWAPs power and increased insecurity in Cameroons Far North region. In August 2018, Minister of Territorial Administration Atanga Nji offered amnesty to separatists who surrender their weapons, saying they would "be received as prodigal sons". How Pakistan's blasphemy laws stir vigilante violence, 'Beyond Fame' The art of the stars at Dsseldorf show, Tracking Qatargate's 'Turkish businessman', Chemical attack in Syria 10 years on: 'We'll never forget', Canada firefighters make progress protecting two cities, Tropical Storm Hilary drenches Mexico, southern California. It even has two different spellings, according to the area and the language: Cameroon for English, and Cameroun for France. Notwithstanding, it is beyond doubt that separatist elements have carried out numerous such acts,[388] sometimes drawing condemnation from the Interim Government of Ambazonia. Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports some 4,000 people have died in clashes, with around 60,000 forced to flee to neighboring Nigeria. conflict resolution in Africa, in Cameroon, its effectiveness was reduced due to lack of inclusivity and failure to address the root cause of the conflict. [408], Meanwhile, the opposition has been vocal in its criticism of the government's handling of the conflict. [295], In the early months of 2021, the separatists began to rely heavily on IEDs while carrying out their ambushes, resulting in heavier Cameroonian casualties. [113] This resulted in a very low turnout, as "more than 90 percent of residents" fled violence in some localities; and in many cases no officials showed up to man the polling stations. Clashes ensued, and many villagers fled across the border into the villages of Bashu and Danare in Boki, Cross River State. In 2020, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his detention to be arbitrary. Cameroon with resultant effects, w hich u ndermined Cameroon's national stability as well as that of the Central and West Africa Sub-Regions. [347] Separatists claimed that Oliver had been killed by an insider during separatist infighting; his assassin had revealed the location of the body to Cameroonian forces. On May 19, Cameroonian mediapublished a summary of an audit by a Supreme Court investigative body, theChambres des Comptes, which detailed findings of large-scale corruption and mismanagement involving 180 billion CFA ($333 million) dedicated to the Covid-19 response. [103] The Cameroonian Army enjoyed some success in weeding out separatist camps. Nelson Tum, a history teacher, said the fighting between the separatists and the government had left him and many others distrustful of both sides. Separatists had already announced a lockdown from 19 to 21 May, and fighters patrolled public places during the holiday to enforce the lockdown. The soldiers also looted scores of homes and threatened residents.
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