Cameroon is currently a country reflective of much of the world’s present reality, even more so of its surrounding region in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a tale of multi-faceted division, hatred, foreign intervention, and perpetual conflict. The country is currently in the midst of an ongoing crisis that has killed thousands over the course of four years in a country with a population of less than 25 million. Unlike conflicts in the surrounding region and indeed the rest of the world, the conflict in Cameroon is not divided along ethnic or religious lines. No, in Cameroon, whether you support independence or the government, are an enemy or an ally is determined the moment you speak. Whether you are greeted by “bonjour” or” hello”, the choice of one and not the other is the distinction between friend and foe. The fault lines in the current crisis are strictly linguistic as the minority Anglophone region of Cameroon continues its separatists struggle against the Francophone majority in charge of the government.
Background
Popularly referred to as the “Anglophone Crisis”, the current conflict in Cameroon has its roots in the colonialism that has colored so much of Africa’s turbulent history. The country was seized by the English and French, carved up piece meal, and then administered by the respective powers resulting in distinct regions divided along linguistic lines. Francophone Cameroon, however, outsized their English speaking counterparts in land, population, and ultimately, political influence. This led to decades of English speaking Cameroonians feeling oppressed against the majority rule of the French speaking government. Sporadic conflict in the country occurred but the impetus for this current struggle began with a strike in 2016 as a result of Francophone judges being appointed in Anglophone regions. In response, the Cameroonian government viciously cracked down on protests, leading to mass arrests, several deaths, and international condemnation. Importantly, the violent response from the government contributed to the call-to-arms and formation of Anglophone separatist groups that began clashing with the government in 2017.
Present Situation
What followed were four years of guerilla and counter-insurgency warfare that resulted in thousands of deaths, war crimes from both sides, and over one million internally displaced Cameroonians. Thus far, 2020 has been characteristically bad for the conflict as well. Elections were held this year which saw increased infighting among separatist groups as failed attempts to negotiate between government officials and jailed separatist leaders. Following elections, government forces commit further atrocities, including massacring at least 23 civilians while some have accused the separatists of a violent assault against school children that killed 7. With the ensuing Covid-19 pandemic that swept across the world, there was optimism that both sides would at least be able to maintain a ceasefire while attending to the viral situation. Unfortunately, that too has proven fickle as multiple ceasefire attempts have fallen through.
Future Outlook
The conflict now oscillates between sporadic clashes, kidnappings, arrests, and reprisal killings. The absence of substantive progress towards peace is critical in a country where thousands have died and thousands more have had to flee because all the while there is also a simultaneous Islamist insurgency in the country’s north led by Boko Haram. Paul Biya, Cameroon’s current president for nearly 40 years has been accused of diverting foreign military aid and assistance away from its intended purpose to combat Boko Haram and pouring military resources into the country’s south against Anglophone separatists. This is critical as crises across the Middle East and Africa have proven that momentary lapses in focus can easily be exploited by terrorist organizations to regroup and expand their presence in unstable regions. So, as confidence in the outlook of peace between government and separatist forces continue to falter, and Boko Haram is allowed a respite, the situation appears quite dire for all Cameroonians.
The Strategic Tribune 