THE ROLE OF THE US IN FINDING A SOLUTION TO THE CURRENT ANGLOPHONE CRISIS IN CAMEROON

Abstract

The Anglophone Crisis is a conflict in the Southern Cameroons region of Cameroon, part of the long-standing Anglophone problem. The purpose of this study is to analyze the origin of the Anglophone problem in Cameroon. Equally, to identify and analyze the causes of the present Anglophone crisis in Cameroon and the rule of the US in finding a solution to the crisis. Research method was based on analyzing policy documents of US, Cameroon and the separatist of the Anglophone regions. Following up latest developments of the crisis was another main method used in the study. In September 2017, separatists in the Anglophone territories of Northwest Region and Southwest Region (collectively known as Southern Cameroons) declared the independence of Ambazonia and began fighting against the Government of Cameroon. Starting as a low-scale insurgency, the conflict spread to most parts of the Anglophone regions within a year. By the summer of 2019, the government controlled the major cities and parts of the countryside, while the separatists held parts of the countryside and regularly appeared in the major cities. The war has killed approximately 3,000 people and forced more than half a million people to flee their homes. Although 2019 has seen the first known instance of dialogue between Cameroon and the separatists, as well as a state-organized national dialogue and the granting of a special status to the Anglophone regions, the war continued to intensify in late 2019. The February 2020 Cameroonian parliamentary election brought further escalation, as the separatists became more assertive while Cameroon deployed additional forces. While the COVID-19 pandemic saw one armed group (SOCADEF) declare a unilateral ceasefire to combat the spread of the virus, other groups and the Cameroonian government ignored calls to follow suit and kept on fighting. With the enormous pressure by the US on the Cameroonian government, the government of Cameroon has not yet heed the call to stop fighting with the rebels of the Anglophone regions.

Keywords

• us, cameroon, anglophone crisis, protest.