A series of events in
Cameroon the last of which was the stone wall reception of the Prime Minister
recently in the Northwest Region have further polarized the Cameroon
socio-political landscape and left the hitherto peaceful country in an
unprecedented stalemate between the governing authorities on the one hand and
the Anglophone minority on the other hand. Reactions from a cross section of
some Anglophones who had the opportunity to speak during the Prime Minister’s visit
revealed that they were very worried about the non release of a host of
Anglophone Minority activists presently detained in some cells in Yaounde and the
absence of internet in the two English Speaking Regions of the country. This
worry was made more justified by the fact that the PM had nothing to say to
their request that all detainees in the cells in Yaounde be released and that
internet services be reinserted.
More dangerous is the
fact that while all attention is being focused on leaders of the disbanded
Anglophone Consortium as well as some other outspoken Anglophones like Chief
Justice Ayah Paul, Barrister Agbor Ballah, Dr. Fontem Neba, Mancho Bibixy among
others, there are many other detainees unknown to the public whose cases remain
unaccounted for.
This worry was
highlighted recently in a publication titled Desperate Communiqué from disbanded Consortium Published in The Horizon Newspaper No. 315 of
February, 06, 2017. This communiqué came in the aftermath of a declaration by
some four Teachers Trade Unions calling off the teachers strike. The Communiqué
among other things branded these trade unions as detractors and published a
list of at least 32 detained Anglophones in cells in Yaounde.
In a related
development, there has also been an increase in the movement of Anglophone
activists to the Diaspora. It is no more news that Barrister Bobga Mbuton
Harmony leader of the Lawyers strike is in the USA and more recently Honourable
Wirba, Member of Parliament from Bui Division has left Nigeria and is
reportedly in the United States of America. Among these escapees to the Diaspora
are some with a long history of activism dating back to university Campus
activities like Ndobegang Nkengafac Clarence.
Clarence joined the
University of Buea Student Union (UBSU) in 2013. Its main activity was to
advocate for the rights of the students and also ensure that the English system
of education was respected in the University. Having joined the Southern
Cameroons National council SCNC in August 2011 in Tiko, Clarence continued his
activism in this structure following the banishing of UBSU by the Vice
Chancellor. After a series of arrests, the most recent wind blowing across the
nation took him along. With the increased clamping down on Anglophone activists
from late 2016 Ndobegang escaped from one of the most brutal arrests of his
life and has become one of those victims for whom Cameroon is too risky to stay
in especially with the upsurge of the demand for Cameroon to return
to a two state federation by the disbanded consortium.
With the lack of action
towards solving the problems presented by Anglophones and the stone wall
resistance met by their demand for a two state federation as well as the
subsequent disbanding of the consortium, almost all die heart activists believe
that the only hope lies in a complete independence of English speaking Cameroon
or Southern Cameroons. This has gradually brought together all pro-secessionist
movements like SCNC among others. While the Cameroonian governments approach
has been that of clamping down on activists, the normal reaction has been for
the activists to escape to other countries or stay home and get caught.
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