Dear Comrades,
I do not know who crisisgroup.org is but it is important to advise whoever it is, that a misrepresentation of our struggle such as the one we find here does not deter us. First we are not Anglophones of Cameroon as the author wants planted in people's minds. We are not a linguistic group. We are citizens of a distinct country, the Southern Cameroons. So we are Southern Cameroonians and are not seeking some other identity. At his level of tact, the author wants anybody to think that we feel marginalized and are looking for mutual trust with the Republic of Cameroon. Our people should be quite alert and not be swayed by any such falsehood. Our problem is not marginalization per se; a neighbouring country invaded ours in 1961 and has since entrenched its authority in the territory militarily and administratively. Marginalization is just a logical fallout of that occupation because wherever this has happened, it has always been followed by a sustained effort to make the natives inferior, through and through.
It was not in 2016 that we began the crusades to restore our statehood and sovereignty. If anyone wants to be fair to reality, he should state unequivocally that the strikes of late 2016 re-awakened popular support to the efforts of our liberation movements. And the author says the government should quickly take measures to calm the situation. Which government? Whose government? I am forced to ask these questions because, I suspect, the author is referring to the government of the Republic of Cameroon whose jurisdiction, legally, does not include the Southern Cameroons. So he is tacitly asking us to forget what we are saying, namely, that the government of the Republic of Cameroon has no legal authority here!
There is a lot of other falsehood in the post but I have decided not to use valuable time on this. The time I have is better used in energizing the home-bound caravan. Posts like this one that I am addressing are a result of well-conceived intention and are often sponsored. In them are found insincere sympathy, half-truths and coated falsehood. The intention is to make it believable by our people that a certain imaginary 'one and indivisible Cameroon' exist and we need rather fight marginalization. Unfortunately for any detractor, our feet are firmly set on a path we must foot to Buea. In fact, we are so close to home I do, on eventful days, hear murmurs from Buea.
Ngwa Ntonufor.
--Cameroon's Anglophone Crisis at the Crossroads -Intl. Crisis Group.
Since October 2016, protests and strikes related to sectoral demands have escalated into a crisis over the economic and political marginalisation of Cameroon's Anglophone minority. Although the government has made some concessions, it must rebuild mutual trust with Anglophone actors in order to avoid instability ahead of the 2018 general elections.The Anglophones of Cameroon, 20 per cent of the population, feel marginalised. Their frustrations surfaced dramatically at the end of 2016 when a series of sectoral grievances morphed into political demands, leading to strikes and riots. The movement grew to the point where the government's repressive approach was no longer sufficient to calm the situation, forcing it to negotiate with Anglophone trade unions and make some concessions. Popular mobilisation is now weakening, but the majority of Anglophones are far from happy. Having lived through three months with no internet, six months of general strikes and one school year lost, many are now demanding federalism or secession. Ahead of presidential elections next year, the resurgence of the Anglophone problem could bring instability. The government, with the support of the international community, should quickly take measures to calm the situation, with the aim of rebuilding trust and getting back to dialogue. (This report is a must read by anyone interested in solving the Anglophone problem.)Since October 2016, protests and strikes related to sectoral demands have escalated into a crisis over the economic and political marginalisation of Cameroon's Anglophone minority. Although the government has made…
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