WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THE

ANGLOPHONE CRISIS

WHAT IS THE AMGLOPHONE CRISIS IN CAMEROON

Anglophone crisis is an ongoing armed conflict in the Republic of Cameroon in Central Africa,
where historically English–speaking Ambazonian separatists are seeking the independence of
the former British colony of Southern Cameroons, which has been unified with Cameroon since
1961.

HOW THE ANGLOPHONE CRISIS STARTED

The current crisis began on 11 October 2016 in Bamenda when lawyers from the Northwest and
Southwest went on strike. Their demands, ignored until the by the justice ministry, were
related to the justice system’s failure to use the common Law in the two regions..

THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ANGLOPHNE CRISIS IN CAMEROON

COLONIAL LEGACY AND FAILURE OF THE CENTRALISED MODEL

The root cause of the Anglophone problem in Cameroon can be traced back to the Foumban
Conference of 1961 that united the two territories, with different colonial legacies, into one
state. Failure to address the Anglophone problem threatens Cameroon’s ability to create
national unity between the two groups of people.

The Anglophone problem is increasingly dominating the political agenda of Cameroon.

So the crisis is as a result of multilayered and complex. Relations between Anglophone civilians,
Cameroon state and international state actors have largely been exploitative and infused with
power imbalance. Unfortunately, these relationships continue into present.

CAMEROON’S ANGLOPHONE CRISIS AT THE CROSSROADS

Since October 2016, protest and strikes related to sectorial demands have escalated into a crisis
over the economic and political marginalization of Cameroon’s Anglophone minority. Although
the government has made some concessions, it must rebuild mutual trust with Anglophone
actors in order to avoid instability ahead of the 2018 general elections.

Generally, little is understood by Franco phones, the Anglophones problem dates back to the
independence period. A poorly conducted re-unification based on centralization and
assimilation, has led to the Anglophone minority to feel politically and economically
marginalized, and that their cultural difference are ignored.

The current crisis is a particularly worrying resurgence of an old problem. Never before has
tension around the Anglophone issue been so acute. The mobilization of lawyers, teachers and
students starting in October 2016 , ignored then put down by the government, has revived
identity-based movements which date back to the 1970’s. These movements are demanding a
return to the Federal model that existed from 1961-1970’s. Trust between Anglophone activists
and the government has been undermined by the arrest of the movement’s leading figures and
the cutting of the internet, both in January. Since then, the two Anglophone regions have lived
through general strikes, school boycotts and sporadic violence.

Since October 2016, protests around sectorial demands have degenerated into a political crisis
in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions. This crisis has led to re-emergence of the Anglophone
question and highlighted the limits of the Cameroon governance model, based on centralization
and co-optation of elites.

The Anglophone area consists of the two of the country’s ten regions, the Northwest and the
Southwest.

The politicization of the crisis and the radicalization of its protagonists is mainly due to the
government’s responds( denial, disregard, intimidation and repression), the diminishing trust
between the Anglophone population and the government and the exploitation of the identity
questions by political actors who have aggravated the population’s resentment to the point
that probably most Anglophones now see a return to Federalism or even secession as the only
feasible ways out of the crisis.

A. THE COLONIAL LEGACY

The German government and the traditional Douala Chiefs signed a treaty in July 1884,
establishing a protectorate called Kamerun. Its territories were shared out after the
German defeat at the end of the First World War. The league of the nations appointed
France and the U.K as joint trustees of Kamerun. The Anglophone problem and a
 number of the other weakness in present – day Cameroon have their roots in the
colonial period.

During the period of the mandate and the trusteeship, each colonial power shaped their
territories in their own image. This resulted in major differences in political culture . English was
the official language in the territory under British administration. The justice system, the
education system, the currency and social norms followed the British model. The system of the
indirect rule allowed traditional chiefdoms to remain in place and promoted the emergence of
a form of self-government to the extent that freedom of the press, political pluralism and
democratic change in power existed in Anglophone Cameroon prior to independence. The
territory was administered as though it was part of Nigeria and several members of British
Cameroon’s Anglophone elite were ministers in the Nigerian government in the 1950’s.

In contrast, the Francophone territory was directly administered by France following the
assimilationist model, although colonizers and the traditional elites also practiced a form of
indirect government, especially in the north of the country. French was spoken and France’s
social, legal and political norms shaped the centralist political system of successive regimes.

B. INDEPENDENCE AND REUNIFICATION: DIFFERENT DREAMS IN THE SAME BED

The process leading to the reunification of the two Cameroons is at the heart of the
Anglophone territory gained independence on 1 January 1960, becoming the Republic
of Cameroon. The British territory comprised Southern Cameroons and Northern
Cameroon. In the referendum held on 11 February 1961, Northern Cameroon chose to
join Nigeria and Southern Cameroons chose to join the republic of Cameroon. Southern
Cameroons became independent on 1 October 1961 when it joined the Republic of
Cameroon.

At the time of the 1961 referendum, the political landscape in Southern Cameroons was
already dynamic.
According to reputed historians, the majority of the population aspired to
independence. But the UK and some developing countries were against it on the
grounds that Southern Cameroons would not be economically viable and that it was
best to avoid the creation of micro-states. They advocated a vote in favor of joining
Nigeria. The UN therefore excluded the independence option and limited the
referendum to a choice between joining Nigeria and reunification with the Republic of
Cameroon.
Even today , the failure to keep the promises made at the Foumban conference is
among the grievances of Anglophones.
Representatives of Southern Cameroons and the president of the Republic of Cameroon,
Amadou Ahidjo, met at Foumban in the west of francophone territory from 17 until 21
July to negotiate the terms of reunification.
Even today, the failure to keep the promises made at the Foumban conference is among
the grievances of Anglophone militants.