From “Anglophone Problem” to “Anglophone Conflict” in Cameroon: Assessing Prospects for Peace

Abstract

Since 2017, an armed conflict has been raging in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon between separatist forces and the Cameroonian military. This review analyses the historical origins and root causes of the conflict; the trigger mechanism of rising protests and state repression in 2016; the emergence and evolution of the armed conflict over the past 5 years; its impact on civilians; and hopes for peace. However, there is currently little prospect for conflict resolution as the Cameroon government appears intent on ignoring limited international pressure, maintaining the charade that the ‘security crisis’ is over and reconstruction is underway, while continuing its counter-insurgency strategy to militarily defeat the armed separatist groups. We note that, while the desire for peace is profound, the political status quo is no longer tolerable nor acceptable, with conflict resolution dependent on political changes that provide, at a minimum, the Anglophone regions with greater autonomy and protection of their particular identity and institutions.

Nationalist secessionism and global order: A comparison of the dynamics and impact of secession movements in Africa and Europe

“…This forms the basis for the Anglophone movement for a return to a federal status to improve their socio-economic fortunes (Okereke, 2018). However, the decades of the government's failure to address deep-seated issues of marginalisation of the former British colony has led rather to the build-up of the most recent sentiment and demand for a complete independent Anglophone territory, the infamous state of Ambazonia (Beseng et al, 2023;Okereke, 2018). This largely explains the transition of the Anglophone question, from the initial request for a return to a federal status (DeLancey et al, 2019;Okereke, 2018) to an independent territory.…”

“…This attracts momentum beyond the control of the state. While the Yaounde government is already accused of taking an entrenched position in favour of French Cameroon institutional arrangements (Beseng et al, 2023; Okereke, 2018), which may invalidate the state weakness debate, part of its limited capacity is seen in an already stretched Cameroonian security apparatus, which has been battling terrorist and related cross border insurgencies within Central Africa and neighbouring Chad and Nigeria to the West of the country. The second condition is that the partly uncoordinated and multigroup nature of the Amabazonia movement makes it difficult for the state to adopt a common approach to address the issue, as in Spain and Ghana.…”

Independence or a federation? Perceived discrimination as an antecedent of Anglophone Cameroonians’ attitude towards the form of state

“…Despite the urgency of the ongoing Anglophone conflict in Cameroon, there is a significant lack of empirical literature on this conflict. Previous literature on the conflict has overwhelmingly focused on the historical dimension of the conflict (e.g., Akara, 2015; Awasom, 2020; Beseng et al, 2023; Chia Ngam and Budi, 2020; Konings and Nyamnjoh, 1997, 2019; Lange, 2019; Lekunze, 2023; Nkwi, 2004; Okereke, 2022). Studies that seek to understand the conflict from a social-psychological perspective do not exist.…”