-Killings
on the Rise
The Anglophone Crisis that is presently raging
in the two English Speaking Regions of Cameroon have put outspoken English
Speaking elite and those who constitute the academia in a very precarious
situation. They are caught up in a deadly war that has practically narrowed
down to targeted killings.
Victims have so far included University lecturers, Members of
Parliament, Senators, Social activists, the clergy, traditional leaders,
Secondary school teachers and school children.
While the Yaounde Regime has stepped up it’s
security measures in a bid to clamp down on Separatists fighters, ideas that
are considered as subversive have become completely unacceptable. Many Cameroonians
are as such becoming unacceptable in their own country both by the regime and
the Separatists because of the way they think and act.
Many who fall in this category of unwanted people
unfortunately included people who have sincerely looked for concrete ways to
solve the Anglophone Crisis. Sometimes their proposals are considered
unacceptable by the Yaounde Regime because they recommend that the root cause
of the Anglophone Crisis be addressed. Their proposals are also sometimes
considered unacceptable by the Amazonian Separatists they sometimes table
proposals that suggest that the warring factions should look for middle ground
solutions in order to bring an end to the bloodshed. Diehard Separatists who
want nothing short of an Independent Republic of Ambazonia find such
suggestions repugnant and would do anything to eliminate proponents of such
proposals.
As the crisis rages on the vulnerable
populations are constantly subjected to indiscriminate killings, tortures,
rapes, arsons, maiming both from the military and the separatists fighters.
Many advocates of justice and peace like Dr.
Kennedy Nyongbela, Professor at the
University of Buea amongst others who are noted for their outspokenness have been targeted unsuccessfully. Dr. Nyongbela reportedly joined the Union of
Higher Education Teachers on November 21, 2016, and participated in the
protests against what they called the government’s continuous undermining of
the Anglo-Saxon system of Education and the English-Common Law. When the
Yaounde Regime cracked down on them many Lawyers like Barrister Mbutong Bobga
Harmony and Journalist like John Mbah Akuro amongst many others took refuge
abroad. Many of them however remained home.
Moderates like Dr. Nyongbela to begin
advocating for justice and peace for English Speaking Cameroonians constantly
referred to in some quarters as Southern Cameroonians.
The Anglophone Crisis has been described in
the media as the “little-reported genocidal war”. In a recent communique, Mr.
Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic of
Cameroon, ordered the Minister of Higher Education to provide the names and
phone contacts of University lecturers of the Universities of Buea and Bamenda.
This move which according to some quarters is a simple security move is
considered as threatening by that outspoken and unwanted class of lecturers
like Dr Nyongbela who were vocal everytime atrocities like the shooting of the innocent 5-year Caroline Ndiale in Buea and little Tataw Brenda in Bamenda.
It should be noted that Dr. Nyongbela who was
awarded the US government Fulbright Fellowship in 2019, is currently in the US
as a IIE-SRF Scholar at risk Fellow.
As the war rages on, the military has been
more trigger happy towards young Anglophone boys whom they tag as separatists fighters
because most of the fighters are reportedly of that age group.
On the other hand separatists have tagged
everyone not confirming with their complete separation orientation approach as
a collaborator of the Yaounde and as an enabler. There is practically no hiding
place.
This situation has become unbearable
especially to Anglophone scholars who speak out against the assimilation and other
injustices. A case in point is the recent murder of Barrister, Senator Kemede,
a SDF fire brand member of the Upper House of Parliament, who was shot to death
by unidentified gunmen. These wantom killings and arrests explain why many
English-speaking scholars are at large and seeking refuge in foreign countries.
The end of the conflict is no where in sight
as on Ground Zero the Scotch-Earth Policy is on course with increased fighting
in urban areas.
Edecation and Development News
Email: edevnewspaper@gmail.com
Tell:+237696896001/+236671262198
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