The Cameroonian President, Paul Biya has offered to entertain the grievances of the separatists’ in south western parts of the country as way of bringing to an end the political crisis that has engulfed the country in the last few years. This overture by President Biya is seen by observers as a positive development as an official acknowledgement of the crisis the country has been wading through in recent times. President Biya had in a public address promised to have a national dialogue with the agitators, saying that the dialogue which will probably start from the end of this month, would be led by the Prime Minister, and would bring together a wide range of people to seek ways to end violence that has plagued the country in recent times.
It could be recalled that Cameroon has been battling internal insurgency since 2017 after the government cracked down heavily on peaceful protesters in Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest English-speaking regions who were bringing to the fore, acts of marginalization by the French-speaking majority of the country. The government’s high handedness in quelling the protests led to more protests leading to the death of over 1,800 people and displacing close to a million.
The President said that in view of the ongoing quagmire, there is need to convene a major national dialogue to enable the country seek, within the bounds of the Constitution ways and means of meeting the deep aspirations of the peoples of the Northwest and Southwest, but also of all the other components of the nation.
Observers say that the Cameroonian leadership has been playing the Ostrich with the political problems facing the country in the last three years by their nonchalant attitude to the yearnings and aspirations of the people of southwestern Cameroon. This they said has cost the country enormous goodwill, investment and worsened the security situation in the country. For example, Cameroon’s hosting rights for the 2019 CAF African Nation’s Cup was withdrawn at the last minute because of security concerns are campaign by human right groups against the government’s high handed response to peaceful protests by the people.
Though the President did not specify if representatives for the separatist movements would be invited to participate in the talks, Human Rights Watch said the prospects for talks between the government and separatist leaders were very thin because of breakdown of trust that has festered over a long period. While hailing the decision as being on the right path, many still doubt the government’s sincerity to peace.
Kelechi Deca
Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry.